Caught in the Middle
by mayghaen17
Summary: One night, Elena finds herself alone in the boarding house...a night Elena will never remember and one that Damon will never forget.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: so...I honestly don't know what inspired this, but it was a oneshot that was not content sitting in my mind. I had to write it, so here it is. Warning you again, K/D/E... But no Stefan :)**

Elena jumped awake, startled by nothing more than the sounds of the old, empty house. She opened her eyes slowly, frowning at the emptiness she saw there. She reached out and let her arm touch the sheets only to find them cold, meaning Stefan had been gone for quite some time. With a sigh, Elena rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Weak sunlight streamed through the windows but Elena knew it wasn't morning light. She had come here after breakfast, exhausted and in need of sleep. She and Stefan had come up here and done just that. Now he was gone and she was alone. There wasn't a note or a text on her phone, leaving her to assume that he went out hunting.

Pushing herself out of bed, she made her way to his on-suite bathroom. After freshening up, she entered the bedroom again and thought about what to do. She didn't want to go home just yet, but the thought of loitering around the boarding house left her feeling a little strange. It's like she hadn't done that before. Deciding to wait until Stefan came back before going home, Elena headed for the door. She wondered if the Salvatore's had any food for human guests in their fridge and then chuckled softly at that thought. Of course they did; they both loved to cook.

With the full intention of going to the kitchen, Elena made for the stairs. She took her time, looking at the works of art that lined the walls. She had been inside the mansion more times than she could count, but she never had the chance to look around. With that in mind, she went to the end of the hallway and began studying the art there. There were a few doors in this hallway, doors that were always closed. She often wondered what lies beyond them, but never had the guts to ask. As much as she wanted to, she knew that to open them now would only give her a guilty conscience.

As Elena approached the third door, she did a double take. It was open. Through the slit she could see a bedroom. There was a massive four poster, California king bed in the center. The black bedding looked very expensive and extremely comfortable. As her eyes did a quick survey of the room she determined that it was Damon's. Curiosity had gotten the best of her at this point, allowing her to push the door open enough to allow her feet to carry her across the threshold.

Once inside, Elena gasped in surprise. Stefan's room had that cozy cabin feel to it. It was decorated minimally, overpowered by massive wooden furniture. Elena had often wondered what Damon's room would look like, but she had never imagined something like this. Truthfully, she had always expected the room to be nothing but a black hole, but the only thing black was the bedding. The bed frame was made of wood and if she looked close enough, she could see the ornaments that had been carved into it for detail. Gently, she ran her fingers along one of the posts, tracing a few of the figures. Her eyes wandered to the bed and she wondered if it felt as soft as it looked.

As she reached out to touch it, she heard a female voice giggling. Elena froze in her tracks; it was _her_ voice which meant Damon was back too. To confirm that thought, she heard Damon's grunt followed by a crash. Elena stood there knowing that if she didn't move now, they would catch her and want to know what she was doing in Damon's room. She heard another crash, this time right next to the door. It gave Elena the jolt she needed to move. Unfortunately, it was too late for her to get out of the room. Her only option was to dash into the closet instead. Try as she might, the door wouldn't shut. Whatever Katherine and Damon were about to do, Elena had no choice but wait for the next best opportunity to leave. Elena chided herself for letting the curiosity get the best of her.

As Katherine and Damon entered the room, she heard the loud thud of the door being kicked closed. Any hope of getting out without being seen was gone. Elena took another step back only to hit a rack of shirts. Her body tensed, hoping that they wouldn't hear her. From the looks of things, they weren't going to notice her. Elena's head snapped up at the sound of a moan. Her hands reached behind her to clutch the clothes as she found herself unable to look away. Her eyes burned as she was unable to close them.

The pair stood in profile before Elena. Damon hands were at Katherine's back, unzipping the dress that she wore. As it pooled to Katherine's feet, she smiled up at him. Her fingers went to the bottom of his shirt and began to undo the buttons. When she got to the top, she ran her hands down his chest. Elena found herself staring at Damon's exposed skin. She knew he had been toned given how well he filled out his clothes, but to see him bare made her breath hitch. Elena's eyes trailed downwards, following Katherine's hands. She watched in awe as her duplicate undid the belt, pulling it from the loops in one fluid motion. Katherine then began to work on the fly of his pants. She dove one hand into the opening, the other reaching up to cup his face. He bent his head and captured Katherine's lips with his own. Elena watched as his muscles flexed in time to the movement of Katherine's fingers.

Elena tightened her grip on the clothes. A startled cry escaped her lips as the rack pulled free of the wall from her weight. She landed on top of the clothes and began to panic. As she tried to push herself to her feet, she was greeted by the sight of Katherine standing in front of her. There was a smirk on her face as she stretched out her hand to help the human girl to her feet. Reluctantly, Elena took it and allowed Katherine to help her up. Without releasing her hold, Katherine led her out of the closet. She locked eyes with Damon briefly, looking down at the floor as her cheeks flushed with heat.

"What in the world were you doing in the closet?" Katherine asked with a straight face though her eyes sparkled with laughter.

Elena racked her brain for the best way to answer that question. "I was... I didn't mean..." she stammered, risking a look at the female vampire in front of her. "I was looking..."

"Looking for something in the closet?" Katherine questioned. The tone of her voice made Elena look up at her. The want to snap at her died from the look in her eyes. Elena knew that the woman in front of her could kill her in the time it took to blink. "Did you find what you were looking for?" she teased.

"I should go," Elena said as her answer and moved towards the door.

She barely took two steps before Katherine appeared before her. There was a pout on her face but the glimmer of mischief was still in her eyes. "What's wrong? You didn't enjoy the show?"

"Let her go, Katherine," Damon demanded.

Katherine smiled as her eyes flickered past Elena's shoulder to lock with Damon's. He knew that look; it was the look of a predator on the prowl. She had already made her mind up on what she was going to do. There was nothing he could do about it. He could only watch as Katherine grabbed Elena by the shoulders and spun her around. Elena's eyes were wide with fear, silently begging for him to help her as Katherine's hands rested on her hips.

"It's obvious that you did," she cooed, inhaling the air around Elena. "I can smell your arousal."

"Please," Elena whimpered, closing her eyes as she tried to get out of the vampire's grasp.

One of Katherine's hands moved swiftly to capture Elena's jaw, holding her still as her other arm wrapped around her waist. Katherine pressed her front tightly to Elena's back, stretching her neck so that their cheeks were pressed together. "Tell me, Elena. If you hadn't destroyed Damon's closet, would you have continued to watch us?"

Damon tried again, taking a step forward. "Katherine, stop."

In response, Katherine tightened her hold on Elena's jaw. "Tell me, Elena!" Katherine hissed in her ear.

"Yes!" Elena snapped, closing her eyes in embarrassment. "I would have kept watching."

Satisfied, Katherine let go of her jaw, letting her hand travel down her neck lightly. The faint scrape of fingernails on her flesh made Elena begin to tremble. Damon watched as Katherine's hand went down to Elena's collarbone, out to her shoulder, and then down over the side of her breast. His jaw hardened as he forced himself to be indifferent.

Katherine smirked as she felt the resistance in Elena fading as her arousal became stronger. She pressed her lips against Elena's jaw as her other hand mimicked the movement of the first until both were resting on the human's hips. From the corner of her eye, she could see Damon standing rigid as he fought the urge to join them. Katherine's smirk widened; it was only a matter of time before he gave in. She had been watching them since she came back to town and she knew there was something between them. Katherine justified her actions by believing what was about to happen would let Elena give in to her desires and stop running from them as she had been doing.

With that thought in mind, Katherine moved her hands to the waistband of Elena's pants, hooking the fingers around the material with the intent to pull them down. An involuntary moan escaped Elena's lips and Damon's jaw clenched to the point where Katherine thought it would break. "Damn it, Katherine!" he snapped, the blue and red veins rising to the surface of his face for a moment. "Let. Her. Go."

Katherine sighed and moved her lips to Elena's ear. "Elena dear?" she breathed.

"Mhmm?" Elena couldn't trust her own voice. Not when Katherine's thumbs were idly stroking her midriff.

"Damon doesn't want me to continue," she informed her duplicate. "Do you?"

"Katherine-"

Her eyes flickered to Damon, shooting daggers at him. "It's up to her Damon. Elena's a big girl, she can make her own choices," she said coldly before letting her body relax, refocusing on the girl in her arms. "So Elena, my question to you is, would you like to join us?"

Elena knew this was her last chance to flee. All she had to do was pull away, say no thank you, and head for the door. But that damned curiosity, the same sensation that had compelled her to sneak into Damon's room in the first place, was demanding that she stay. Through hooded eyes, she sought out Damon. He was staring at her, his eyes telling her to go at the same time they were asking that she stay. They had been circling around each other for months; afraid to say that the feelings were there, convincing themselves that it was for the best.

Curiosity took hold of Elena once more and she nodded. "I'll stay," she breathed.

Damon's eyes widened slightly in shock. Elena had willingly said she would stay. The necklace firmly clasped around her delicate neck confirmed that she hadn't been compelled. Katherine chuckled heartily at her decision. She had been prepared to compel her if Elena had chosen to leave, but she had underestimated the pull between her and Damon. The human shuddered as the vampire behind her gently traced the shell of her ear with her tongue. "After tonight, you won't be naive anymore."

It was on the tip of Elena's tongue to tell Katherine that she was not naive, but it would have been a lie. Just because she had been with Stefan didn't make her experienced. At the thought of the younger Salvatore, Elena knew she should have felt guilty, change her mind, and leave. However, she opted for shoving the thoughts of him to the back of her mind in order to pay attention to what was going on around her. She came back to reality just in time to feel the push Katherine delivered to her pants, tugging them until they slid down to the floor and pooled around her feet.

Katherine pressed her lips against the edge of Elena's jaw, just below her earlobe as her right hand dipped into her panties. Elena's breath caught in her throat as Katherine ran one slender finger through the folds of her nether regions. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought she would do anything intimate with a girl; let alone a girl that could pass as her twin. She tried not to dwell on the fact that she was also one of Elena's ancestors. However, given the fact that she was hundreds of years old seemed to make it easier to ignore. As Katherine's fingers continued to please her, Elena bit her bottom lip and partially closed her eyes, letting her body relax and use the woman behind her for support.

With her free hand, Katherine reached out to Damon. She curled her fingers, using her index finger to beckon him forward. He could already feel his control waning at the sight of the two women before him. The soft sighs of satisfaction coming from Elena's lips were getting to him, making him hard. For the first time in a long time, Damon felt nervous as he stalked across the room, stopping inches away from Elena.

Elena lifted her hands until they were touching Damon's shirt. After a moment of hesitation, her fingers curled around the material and pulled him closer. One of his hands came up to cup the side of her face, tipping her head back slightly so he could watch her expressions. "Kiss her," Katherine demanded.

Damon wasn't sure if he moved of his own volition or if Katherine's demand had worked on him, but he closed the gap between him and Elena, setting his lips softly against hers. Katherine smirked as the pair closed their eyes simultaneously, taking a moment to get used to the feel of each other. To speed up the process, Katherine adjusted her hand enough so that she could slip one of her fingers into Elena's core. As Elena moaned, her lips parted. Damon took that as an invitation and began to deepen the kiss. Lost in the kiss, Damon sank his fingers into her hair and tried to pull her closer. Just as his body pressed against hers, she was torn from his arms.

He stared at the emptiness before him in confusion before he heard the creak of the bed. Damon turned to see Elena lying down in the middle, her heels barely touching the side of the bed. His eyes flickered to her shirt that was now lying on the floor next to Katherine's dress. Again, Katherine beckoned him with the crook of her finger. Without waiting to see if he obeyed her or not, she turned her attention back to the girl. Elena let out a shaky breath as Katherine reached out to spread her legs, encouraging her to bend her knees. Elena closed her eyes and clutched the bedding as she felt her underwear being removed. Her stomach quivered as Katherine's hand began to glide up and down the inside of her thighs.

Damon stood at the opposite side of the bed watching Elena with amusement. He could sense the anxiety rising in her as Katherine moved closer to her. It was almost as if she'd never been intimate with anyone before. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, her fingers clutching the comforter so hard her knuckles were white. A loud, breathy moan escaped her lips while her eyelids fluttered and her head arched the moment Katherine's tongue darted out to touch the delicate bundle of nerves at her core. Unable to tolerate standing off to the side, Damon shed his clothes and knelt by Elena's side.

Her eyes opened briefly as the bed sank and she barely saw him through the haze that clouded her vision. It registered that he was nude, but the pleasure erupting through her body kept her from enjoying the view. As a finger slipped inside of her, adding to the blissful sensation of Katherine's mouth, Elena closed her eyes and moaned as her hips bucked forward, begging for more. As another moan escaped, Damon leaned forward and captured her lips, absorbing the sound. This time, it was her tongue that sought his, deepening the kiss all on her own. Unable to resist the urge to touch her, Damon moved his hand to her breasts, gently cupping them through the material of her bra.

Elena kissed him back as passionately as he kissed her. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he would could go on kissing her and be completely satisfied. After she moaned into his mouth again, he detached his lips from hers and began to kiss his way down the side of her neck; lightly nipping at her skin as he went. He placed open mouthed kisses on each of her breasts, the part the bra hadn't concealed, before reaching behind her to remove the last article of clothing. To do this, he had to pry her fingers away from the bedding. Instead of returning to grip the material, Elena rested her hand on his shoulder as he bent forward and took one of her hardened nipples in his mouth.

Elena ground her head against the mattress as the world began to spin behind her closed eyes. Both of them touching her were taking her to the brink. Katherine added another finger and instead of keeping her agonizingly slow pace, she began to move faster. Elena's moans became more frequent as she bit her lip to keep from crying out. Damon moved to kiss her again and the moment he covered her mouth with his own, Elena felt her world explode from her release. Katherine kept pumping her fingers so Elena could ride the high a bit longer. When she was finished, Katherine adjusted her body so that the three of them formed somewhat of a triangle. Knowing what she wanted to do, Damon broke the kiss and moved to lie on his back.

Elena stared at the ceiling for a moment as the last few tremors left her body. She had never experienced anything quite like that before. And this was only the beginning. When Elena tilted her head to the side, Damon was lying on his side with his head near Katherine's lap. Her eyes widened as she realized her head was near _his_ lap. Her eyes lifted up to meet his and he gave her a nod of approval, wanting nothing more than to feel those kiss-swollen lips work their magick on his cock. Elena's tongue ran out to wet her lips, whether it was subconscious or not, it made Damon twice as hard.

Katherine watched the interaction and shook her head wistfully, a small grin on her face. She adjusted her body, catching Damon's attention. He removed her underwear as slowly as she had removed Elena's before he leaned in to taste her. Katherine propped herself up on her elbows so that she could watch. Her head tipped back slightly as Damon moved his tongue with expertise.

Elena stared at the two of them for the longest moment before she met Katherine's eyes. Her head tilted towards Damon's lower half, a soft sigh escaping her lips as Damon began using his fingers to accompany his tongue. Elena swallowed hard and adjusted so that she could reach him. Her hand wrapped around him before slowly going up and down the length. Katherine shuddered with pleasure as his groans turned into vibrations. As she saw Elena take him into her mouth, she let herself fall back onto the bed. After a few more licks, she reached for the human again. Damon groaned with pure bliss as Elena's moans vibrated the length of his shaft. His eyes opened to see that Katherine had returned to pleasing her. He dared to look at Elena and all but lost it at the sight. Damon used his frustration and need to drive Katherine to the brink.

Neither Elena nor Damon needed much more before their releases. He could sense that Katherine was near as well. She began bucking her hips in time to his thrusts and grinding herself against his lips. As if someone had flipped a switch to control all three of them, they reached their peak simultaneously. Elena thought her head would explode from having that much pleasure in such a short time frame. She hardly noticed when the salty mixture of Damon's release slid easily down her throat. When she could see straight, she moved to lie on her back and stared at the ceiling again, waiting for the next move.

She didn't have to wait long. Katherine moved in true vampire fashion so that she was lying with her head on the pillows. She had taken Elena with her, letting the other girl be on top. Elena's knees were next to Katherine's hips, her hands on either side of the female vampire's head. Katherine grinned lazily up at Elena before cupping her face and bringing it down to her own. She could taste the essence of Damon on the human girl's lips; just as she was sure Elena could taste herself on hers. One of her hands moved from Elena's face to her breasts, taking one of the nipples between her fingers.

Damon couldn't stand to watch them for long. He knew what Katherine wanted him to do and he was more than happy to oblige. Moving to kneel on the bed behind Elena, he looped an arm around her waist and pulled her back enough so she could bend forward. With her spine perfectly aligned in a slight slope downwards, Damon slid a hand between her thighs and guided himself into her opening. Elena gasped from the thickness of him just as he groaned from her tightness. He slid all the way in and waited for her to adjust. Once her hips began to gyrate, indicating that she was ready, he slid almost all the way out of her then drove back in. He repeated the action until he heard a groan of frustration. With that, he began to thrust in and out of her in a timely fashion.

Elena was always on the bottom. She had never been adventurous enough to try any other positions. Now that Damon was driving her wild from behind, she knew missionary wasn't going to cut it anymore. Damon used one hand to keep her steady while the other ran over her rear and up her stomach to knead her breasts. She could feel Katherine's fingers running through her hair and when she was able to open her eyes, she decided to be bold. With all feelings of timidness gone, Elena lowered her mouth to Katherine's nether regions. Katherine couldn't help but be surprised; she didn't think the human had it in her. A shudder enveloped the female vampire as Elena's tongue ran between the folds repeatedly; each stroke ending at her hypersensitive clit.

Damon saw Elena's boldness and he picked up the pace of his thrusts. He had always assumed that Elena would be timid and shy; he was getting proved wrong at every turn since Katherine had pulled her out of the his closet. If she had been shy, she would have left when she had been given the opportunity. He watched as Katherine's fingers sank into Elena's tresses. She arched her neck, grinding her head against the pillows. Katherine was amazed at how quickly Elena was bringing her to the edge. She cried out softly from her release, still in awe of how well she had done.

Damon ground his teeth at the sight of Katherine's release. He met her sated eyes for only a moment before he looked away. As ready and willing as Elena was, he didn't think she would appreciate it very much if he vamped out the way he wanted to. Instead, he used his speed to pull her away from Katherine. He positioned himself with his back on the bed and pulled Elena over him so she could straddle his hips. He wanted to see her face when she came for him. Another wave of desire coursed through him as she impaled herself on his length and began to rock her hips in rhythm with his thrusts.

Katherine knelt behind Elena, sweeping her hair to one side, exposing her throat on the other. She placed her lips on the hot flesh while reaching around with one hand. As Damon continued to thrust away, Katherine placed her thumb on Elena's clit and slowly moved her appendage. Elena tossed her head back only to have it rest on Katherine's shoulder. Her chest heaved unevenly as she struggled to breath. She could feel her third release coming and it threatened to break her into a million pieces.

Sensing that she was close, Damon grabbed hold of her hips and surged forward. Katherine moved back, content with watching the pair as they wrapped up the finale. In the time it took to take another labored breath, Elena was underneath Damon with her head on the pillows where Katherine had been. Her legs were tightly locked around Damon's waist; his body pressed firmly against hers as he continued to thrust. He sought her lips with his and kissed her relentlessly, his tongue diving in and out of her mouth to mimic what their bodies were doing.

Elena broke the kiss by flinging her head back. Her eyes were squeezed shut as Damon went borderline vampire speed with his thrusts. Her release was intense and she could hear her screams of pleasure echoing off the walls. Just as she was about to come down, she felt Damon's lips at her throat. Lost in his own need for release, Damon let his fangs slide down and pierce her skin. The moment she moaned his name, Damon lost control; his fluids warming up her insides as he continued to take her blood. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before.

Katherine watched from the side of the bed as the two slowly drifted down from their high. Her fangs were out having smelled blood, but for once, she didn't feel like spoiling the moment. The two were lost in their own little world. She had already pushed them beyond their boundaries as friends, the least she could do was let them have their moment. Especially since she knew what she had to do afterwards. She grinned around her fangs.

Elena's body had turned to mush. Her limbs felt as if they were made of jelly and she struggled to breathe. Damon had collapsed on top of her, breathing almost as hard. Her eyes opened to the sight of his steel blue ones. He reached up to brush the hair out of her face and offered a small smile. Elena grinned back and shifted her weight. A moan escaped both their lips at the discovery that he was still buried inside of her. Smiling sheepishly, he pulled out and moved to lie on his back off to her left. Katherine stretched out on her stomach on Elena's right and smiled at the two of them.

Now that the heat of the moment was gone, Elena felt awkward. She didn't know what to do or how to react. She began to feel a touch of panic as she moved her eyes to the left then to the right. Her hand shot up to her neck where she touched the necklace; a mixture of relief and self-loathing coursing through her. As she pulled her hand away, her eyes widened at the blood that stained her fingers. Finding enough strength, Elena scrambled out of bed as quickly as she could.

"Elena-" Damon called after her, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Don't!" she hissed, trying everything she could think of to keep herself from crying.

Katherine watched as the girl dressed while trembling. Once she was headed towards the door, she used her vampiric speed to cut her off. "Not so fast."

"Leave me alone," Elena whispered. Katherine smiled at her and nodded. As she stepped away, she moved quickly to stand behind Elena so that she was able to remove the vervain locket swiftly. "Hey!" she snapped and whirled around only to find that Katherine wasn't there.

As she turned again, she jumped at the sight of her duplicate in front of her once more. She grabbed Elena by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "You're going to go back to Stefan's room and take a shower. You're going to scrub until your skin burns because you've scrubbed it raw. You're then going to crawl back in to Stefan's bed and forget this ever happened. Do you understand?"

Elena stared at her with blank eyes for a moment as the compulsion settled in. "Shower, bed, forget this happened," she mumbled.

Elena tried to take a step forward but Katherine stopped her. "But first," she added and raised her own wrist to her mouth. After biting into her flesh, she offered it to Elena. "To heal the mark." Elena nodded and drank deeply. Once Katherine pulled her arm away, she wiped the blood from Elena's mouth. "When you wake up, you won't remember what happened here," she reiterated, wanting to make sure that part of the compulsion worked. With that, she stepped out of Elena's way and watched as she drifted towards Stefan's room.

The moment the door shut down the hall, Damon flung himself at Katherine, pinning her against the wall roughly. "Why did you do that?" he snarled.

She looked bored as she stared down at him. "If she were to remember this, she would drive herself crazy with self-loathing. She just slept with you, Damon. How would she explain that to Stefan? We didn't make her do anything, she chose to stay all on her own." Katherine laid her hands on his biceps. "It's for the best."

Damon growled but let his fangs recede; he knew she was right. "What about her necklace? Stefan's going to wonder why she's not wearing it," he pointed out.

Katherine held out her hand where the chain dangled from her fingers. "When she goes to sleep after her shower, put it back on her," she instructed before pushing him away enough she so could move.

He stared at the wall for a moment before he heard the sound of clothes. He turned to see her redressing. "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving."

"What?"

She grinned as she pulled on her dress. "As much fun as it would be to stay and watch you destroy yourself because Elena doesn't remember, I have places to go, people to see."

"Katherine-" he started, but she covered his mouth with her hand after rushing across the room.

"I told you I wouldn't be in town long. You're the one that said we could fool around and you wouldn't get attached." She tsked at him and turned around, waiting for him to zip up her dress. "Then again, you only suggested it because you wanted a substitute for Elena."

Damon grabbed her shoulders and whirled her around. "That's not-"

"Don't even pretend that you sought me out for any other reason. You kissed me on the porch thinking I was Elena. You poured your heart out to me. You love her Damon; you know it, I know it. Tonight confirmed any doubts that I had and let me tell you something; she has feelings for you too."

Damon winced at her words. Whatever Elena had admitted, verbally or otherwise, had vanished the moment Katherine compelled her to forget. He would have to spend the rest of eternity knowing that the greatest night of his life would only be remembered by him. Elena would go back to hating him in the morning; go back to loving Stefan. His face contorted into a look of disgust. "I hate you."

Katherine shrugged and went about searching the room for her heels. "You can try to compel her to remember but we both know it won't work because of our age difference. The vervain in her locket might reverse the compulsion, however, that will take years to do. That's assuming she's going to wear it for the rest of her life." After stepping into her shoes, Katherine returned to stand in front of Damon. She held his jaw and reached up to kiss him, forcing his head to stay in place instead of recoil like he wanted to. "Best of luck," she breathed and vanished from the room, leaving Damon to deal with the consequences.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: I'm back! So this is the story that I'll be posting along with One Kiss and when this is over I'll start a new one. I've already got a lot of chapters written, they're just in the beta stage. A big thank you to Zoraya Windwalker for being my beta :) Hopefully this lives up to your expectations after the first chapter :)**

TWO

Stefan stopped the moment he heard the loud _thump thump thump _of the bass. His head tilted to the side as his brows furrowed, trying to figure out what that meant. Blasting music was something Damon liked to do while he was drowning his non-existent sorrows. Considering that the last time he had done this they had discovered Katherine had never been in the tomb, Stefan became worried. As he remembered that Elena was still in his room, he bolted for the boarding house.

Sure enough, Damon was perched on the arm of the couch with a bottle of his favorite scotch in his hand. The music was blaring in his ultra sensitive ears. "Damon!" he shouted, keeping his distance in case the elder Salvatore decided to lash out at him.

When it was clear that he wasn't going to answer, Stefan made his way to the stereo and turned it down. Damon took a long drink from the bottle. "Why do you always have to ruin everything?"

Stefan straightened at that and noticed that Damon's body was prepared to move at any given moment. "You can brood later, right now, Elena is still upstairs trying to sleep."

Damon snorted. "Trust me, she won't be waking up any time soon."

Stefan let that comment slide, not wanting to start a fight. "Is there a reason you're acting like this?"

"I'll give you one guess."

Stefan nodded at that. "Katherine," he muttered.

Damon snorted again. His brother was half right. "You got your wish; the bitch is gone. No more evil twin loose in town."

"She left?" Stefan repeated. As Damon nodded, Stefan felt a weight being lifted off of his shoulders. "You're the one who sought her out even though you claim to hate her."

Damon stood at that, slamming the bottle onto the cart next to the couch. "Trust me, Brother, I _hate_ her now more than I ever did before."

Stefan found himself taking a step backwards. He believed Damon with every fiber of his being. There was no mistaking the venom in his voice and disgust in his eyes for anything other than hate. Knowing that it would be a very bad idea, Stefan refrained from asking the question of why. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid," he demanded.

Damon blurred across the room so that he was standing right in Stefan's face. "I can, and will, do anything I damn well please," he bit out. He let it sink in before taking a step back to give Stefan some space. "Don't worry, I'm not going to lash out at your precious Elena," he added as he turned and headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?" Stefan heard himself asking.

"I need more liquor and I'm starving," he answered, slamming the door before Stefan could say anything else.

Stefan sighed, the last thing he wanted to do was make sure that Damon didn't make a snack bar out of Mystic Falls because he was angry at Katherine. However, he had said Elena was safe and that was all that mattered to him. Stefan shut off the stereo and recapped all the bottles before heading up to his room. A wave of relief washed over him at the sound of Elena's heartbeat. It was calm and even meaning she was in a deep sleep. Although it was very strange that the loud music hadn't woken her up.

He shut the door behind him and approached the bed. A small smile crept onto his face as he saw the peaceful look on hers. She was smiling too. If it wasn't for the fact that her hair was soaking his pillow, he would have let her sleep. "Elena," he called out softly, moving to sit at her side, gently shaking her bicep.

She stirred instantly, her eyes fluttering until she came completely out of the dream world. "Hey," she breathed, smiling up at him.

He grinned as he tried not to laugh. "Why in the world is your hair wet?" he asked, reaching out to touch the wet strands.

She sat up quickly and pulled her hair over her shoulders. The smile on her face turned to a frown as she shook her head. "I must have taken a shower."

Stefan felt the humor fade as he watched her try to remember. "Elena?"

She looked up at him again with wide eyes. She shrugged her shoulders and placed her hands in her lap. "I must have woken up while you were gone and taken a shower to kill some time."

"And you fell asleep with wet hair," he stated, frowning at her explanation.

She glanced towards the window and then looked back at him. "It's not raining; a shower's the only other possible explanation." She lifted her arm to her nose and inhaled deeply before extending it to him. "And I smell like your soap."

He had to believe it was the truth, she did smell like his body wash, but something just didn't add up. She had that blank look in her eyes almost as if... He shook his head and stood up. Damon wouldn't have done anything to her; that he was sure of. "Are you hungry?" he asked, wanting to talk about something else before his imagination ran wild.

She nodded and fell back against the pillow, that smile back on her face. It was then that Stefan noticed the difference in her. Her skin was glowing and she seemed more relaxed than she had been before he left. "A little, but I don't want to get up just yet."

Elena stretched and nestled herself back onto the bed. She hadn't felt this good in ages. She felt completely rested and her body ached in a pleasant way. It bothered her a little that she couldn't remember waking up to take a shower, but at the moment, she felt too good to really care about it. "Do you want me to make you something?"

"Breakfast in bed?"

He grinned, "In this case it would be a late dinner. What would you like?" he asked.

"Surprise me," she returned and winked as he turned to leave the bedroom. Sighing contently, she decided to check her phone for messages. There was one text from Jenna that read, _Are you coming home anytime soon?_ Elena sighed with guilt as she did the math. Her aunt had sent the message four hours ago. Determined to stay in a good mood, she called Jenna. After all, it was only ten o'clock.

"Nice to know you're still alive," Jenna greeted.

"If you were truly worried you would have called me a dozen times and then shown up at the boarding house," Elena countered.

"Am I that predictable?"

Elena let out a light laugh at that, answering the question without any words. "Stefan's making dinner and I'll come home after that, okay? Sorry I made you worry."

"Sounds good to me. At least you're alive," she answered and hung up.

Elena returned her phone to the nightstand and looked back up at the ceiling. The smile was back on her face and her eyes closed once again. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She truly couldn't remember the last time she had felt this good.

It wasn't long before Stefan returned, carrying a tray of food. Elena sat up, using the headboard as a backrest. He sat next to her and they dug into the food. She was starving and he watched with mild fascination at the way she ravaged everything on her plate. "Wow, I didn't know you could eat like that."

She smiled and gulped down her water. "Neither did I. I guess sleeping all day will make you hungry." She pushed the empty tray away from her and turned her head towards him. "I told Jenna I would come home after dinner."

He nodded and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "If you have to." Finally, Elena swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood up. She felt a moment of dizziness and took a deep breath to calm herself. "If Jenna wants me home, I should be there. It's not very often that she requests my presence. The blame is all on you," she said, giving him a sly smile. "You've been taking up most of my time."

In an instant, he was in front of her, pulling her to him. "Surely it's not all my fault," he breathed and closed the distance to press his lips to hers again.

She sighed and leaned into him before breaking the kiss and stepping back. "I really should go. Thanks for letting me sleep."

He nodded and reached for her hand. As they walked down the hall, Elena slowed down as they approached one of the closed doors. She frowned as she looked at it, trying to figure out what it was that made her stop. She couldn't explain where exactly the knowledge came from, but she knew instantly that it was Damon's room. Her eyes narrowed and she felt her hand slipping out of Stefan's as she took a step towards it. "Elena?" Stefan called after her.

She shook herself and turned back to him. "Is that Damon's room?"

He nodded, staring at her with confusion. "Yes, and I highly recommend that you stay out of there." Elena looked back at the door once more and then took Stefan's outstretched hand. Without another word, they walked to her car and she began to drive home.

* * *

Damon paced restlessly at the edge of Elena's backyard. Luckily no one was around to bother him. He hadn't lied to Stefan when he said he was starving, the little bit he had taken from Elena wasn't enough to qualify as a meal. After leaving the boarding house, he had strolled through the town and lured a willing woman into one of the alleys behind the Grill. As his teeth sank into the flesh of her neck allowing the blood to coat his tongue, he felt sick. The blood tasted flat like soda that had been open for too long. Instead of swallowing it, he spat the blood on the ground and sent the girl away. Since then, he had been roaming the town, fuming away at this new development. He wondered how long he would have to go feeling unfulfilled from his feedings; how long would the delicious taste of Elena haunt him at night along with the feel of her sleek skin against his?

He was drawn from his thoughts as he heard a car pull up. It was Elena. He would know that scent anywhere; it drove him crazy. He blurred to the front of the house and watched her. She was smiling to herself as she walked up the steps to her front door. He continued to stare, vaguely aware that he was just torturing himself. Once she was inside, he heard her exchange pleasantries with Jenna.

"I couldn't sleep last night so I went over there. I fell asleep as soon as I got there. When I woke up, he made me dinner and I came home, just like I promised," she said, smiling at her aunt from across the island.

Damon ground his teeth and dug his nails into the tree beside him. He winced as the bark made its way into his skin. His eyes were glued to the necklace fastened around her slender throat. "You really expect me to believe that you slept all day?" Jenna asked, staring at her niece with a raised brow. "You come home smiling like _that_ and sleeping was all you did?" She snorted and tossed a grape at Elena.

Elena's eyes went wide and her cheeks turned red with heat. "Jenna!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "Sleep as in closed eyes, fully clothed, off in la-la-land."

If only she knew. Damon could see the glow to her skin and the confidence that radiated off of her. She never looked like that after a night with Stefan. His lips curled into a snarl at that thought. He shook his head and tried to clear his mind. He knew he shouldn't be here or anywhere near Elena for that matter. He knew the right thing to do was leave Mystic Falls and stay away from her, but Damon never did the right thing. He wanted her and it was clear that she wanted him. Now, he only had to prove it to her. Again.

Elena sighed and shook her head. "Believe what you want, I'm going upstairs."

"To sleep?" Jenna asked, eyes sparkling with laughter.

Elena narrowed her eyes, but the smile remained on her lips. "To get away from you and your disbelief," she quipped and made her way upstairs.

Damon watched her until she was out of sight. He moved around to the side of her house to climb the tree outside her window. He couldn't stop watching her. He wanted to know that she was alright. He knew the effects of messing with someone's memories. For some, they never knew the difference, for others, it drove them crazy until they were stark raving mad. For the thousandth time that night, he wished Katherine was there so that he could drive a stake through her heart.

Elena entered her room, humming one of her favorite songs. She shut the door gently and went to the bathroom. She left the door open as she brushed her teeth and washed her face. She continued humming, a different song this time, as she approached her dresser to find her brush. Her hair had dried in a mass of knots because she had gone to bed without letting it dry first. Her humming stopped as she played with it. No wonder Jenna thought she was lying. Her hair looked like someone had spent a considerable amount of time with their fingers buried in it. She shrugged and took the brush to her bed. Elena sat on the edge and began to work through the tangles.

As he watched, he fought the urge to barge into her room and show her what she couldn't remember. The only thing that kept Damon in the tree was that he didn't want to hurt her. She had agreed to their little tryst with her own free will. If she could do it then, with Katherine in the midst, she would do it again eventually. All he had to do was sit back and wait. He leaned forward once he heard the humming stopped and realized Elena had gone back to stand in front of the mirror above her dresser.

She was finishing the last few knots when she caught a glimpse of herself. Now that she wasn't distracted by the hair, she could really _see._ She looked different somehow. Elena didn't know why, but she felt more confident, like she could take on anything. She set the brush down and moved her hair to one side. Her eyes trailed down to look at the reflection of her neck. Her fingers reached up to touch it and her eyes fluttered. Again, unknown feelings washed over her. She knew the spot was significant, but she didn't know why.

Damon's lips pressed into a hard line as she traced the spot where he had bitten her. She was staring at her reflection as if she were trying to conjure up a distant memory. That gave him more hope than it should have.

Sighing, Elena stepped away from the dresser and turned off the lights. She shrugged out of her pants and crawled into bed. She had been sleeping all day, but still felt exhausted. She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, that smile still on her lips.

Damon entered her room the moment her heart beat in a steady rhythm. He stood at her side and used an index finger to trace her cheekbones. "Someday, you'll remember what happened. I want..." he paused and shook his head. "I _need_ you to remember, Elena," he whispered to her sleeping form. Not trusting himself around her anymore, he vanished, leaving her to sleep in peace.


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: I should have mentioned this last time, but it will be awhile before Stefan and Elena end things. However, the story features them drifting apart more than being a couple, so don't worry. Damon will be in it too and he'll have his moments with Elena. So just bare with me because I have so many little twists and turns planned for this one! Just wait til you see how Elena gets her memories back ;)**

THREE

Elena opened her eyes at the first sign of sunlight as it streamed through her windows. She wasn't usually a morning person, but today she felt refreshed. Her smile widened as she sat up and stretched. It was as if her good mood from yesterday was still intact and for that she was very grateful. Elena swung her feet over the side of the bed and got to her feet. She swayed for a second as she got her bearings. When she could trust her body to hold itself up, she moved towards the bathroom to get ready for the day.

As she headed downstairs, she heard Jenna closing and opening the cabinets in a rush. "Jenna?" Elena called out, making her way into the kitchen. "Everything okay?"

"I'm looking for- Ah ha!" she cried, holding up the egg separator. "I knew we had this somewhere."

Elena giggled and moved to sit at the island. "What do you plan on using that for?"

"Alaric's coming over for breakfast and I told him I would cook for a change."

"You really think that's a good idea?" she teased.

"And that's why I'm cooking for him and not you. He likes my cooking."

Elena grinned and shook her head. "He has to; we don't have a dog he can pawn it off on."

Jenna scowled playfully as she went about the kitchen collecting everything she needed to make the meal she had planned. "So how are you feeling today?" Jenna asked, smirking at her niece.

Elena rolled her eyes. "I feel really good. Kind of like I stopped to recharge my batteries." Jenna shook her head and laughed quietly. Elena decided to change the subject and keep the focus on her aunt. "So why breakfast?"

"I have class all day and then again tomorrow."

Elena's eyes narrowed at Jenna as she watched the woman carefully prepare the ingredients. There was a smile on her face and a look in her eyes that Elena had only recently discovered the meaning of. "Jenna?" Elena asked, peering at her aunt, somehow knowing what was coming next.

"I think I'm in love with him Elena," she blurted out. "I can't stop thinking about him, he's good to me, he's good to you and Jeremy, he's...perfect."

Elena's eyes widened at the admission. It saddened her a little because the last time she had really talked to Jenna, she and Mr. Saltzman had just started dating. It was a sign that Elena was spending too much time with her boyfriend. At that thought, she tried to remember the last time she had seen her brother or any of her friends, only to come up with no answer.

"That's great, Jenna. I'm happy for you," Elena said, trying her best to sound sincere. As much as she wanted to be happy for her aunt, she knew that Alaric hadn't been entirely honest with her about everything. Then again, neither had Elena.

"I'm not sure if I should tell him. Should I wait for him to say it first?"

Elena shrugged. "Do what feels right for you."

Before either of them could say anything more, they were cut off by the sound of the front door. Elena smiled at her former teacher and he returned it with a wave. "Haven't seen you in awhile."

Jenna reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Be right back," she said and excused herself from the room.

Elena nodded and looked at Alaric. "You have to tell Jenna. _We_ have to tell her."

"About what?"

"Everything."

"No."

"She likes you a lot and I know that you like her. I hate the fact that everyone in this house knows what's really going on in town and I think we should tell her. She can take it; I know she can."

Alaric didn't get a chance to reply as Jenna entered the room again. "It smells good," Alaric said to her, gesturing to the food that was on the counter.

Elena smiled at both of them and left the room. She made her way back upstairs and decided to call Stefan. She knew she needed a chance to reconnect with her friends and family and she was tired of being scared. If Katherine wanted to do something, she would have done so already. She jumped at the sight of Stefan climbing through her window. "I was just going to call you," she said as she closed her door behind her.

"You were?"

She nodded and met him halfway, embracing him at the foot of her bed. "We need to talk."

He inclined his head and they both sat down. "That's why I came here."

Elena didn't like the sound of this, but gave him a stiff nod. "You go first," she insisted.

It took a few moments for Stefan to collect his thoughts and make sure that what he had to say came out the way he intended. "When I came home last night from hunting, I found Damon blasting music, sulking because Katherine left him again. I'm still dumbfounded at the fact that you were still sleeping. Do you remember how Damon was when he discovered Katherine wasn't in the tomb?"

Elena nodded; she couldn't forget the look on his face even if she wanted to. It had torn her heart in two watching _his_ heart break. "Yeah, I remember," she replied, thinking over his drunken stupor that had lasted for a few weeks, ending when they made the connection between Elena and Isobel.

"He's gone back to that," Stefan said quietly. Elena placed her hand over his and squeezed comfortingly. She knew he hated seeing his brother destroy himself like this. "It got me thinking about the past several weeks and made me realize my mistakes."

"Mistakes?" Elena questioned, praying that he wasn't going to say what she thought.

"We were both afraid that Katherine would lash out at you that we spent almost every waking moment together. I never even considered the real danger of having you that close to her, especially when she and Damon started seeing each other again. Do you know how many times I left to go hunting and she was there, sleeping in Damon's room? I don't even know how many times Damon wasn't there to make sure she didn't do anything. She could have killed you Elena."

Elena felt a wave of relief roll through her at his words. "But she didn't."

He nodded and got to his feet, raking a hand through his hair. "I know that. We got lucky. If I was smarter, I would have never let you step foot into the boarding house knowing she was right down the hall."

Elena narrowed her eyes at him, watching as he restlessly paced her room. "What are you getting at Stefan?"

"Damon looked me in the eye and said he hated her. I could see it in his eyes. She must have done something beyond horrible to make him truly hate her." He stopped pacing and looked Elena straight in the eyes. "I know you and Damon have a strange sort of friendship, but I am asking you to stay away from him."

"Stefan-"

"Hear me out," he pleaded, putting his hand up to cut her off. "I'm not saying permanently, I'm saying until he calms down a bit. I've never seen him like this Elena and it scares me. I'm afraid he's going to be like the Damon that first came to Mystic Falls and I can't let him go back there. He was just starting to get his emotions back after having shut them off for so long," he finished wistfully.

Elena nodded at that. Ever since his emotions had started returning, his relationship with her had changed and she began considering him a true friend. Especially after the trip to Georgia where she learned she could trust him and that she would always be safe with him. "Damon won't hurt me. He knows better than to mistake me for her."

Stefan gave her a sad smile. "He mistook her for you."

Elena held his gaze and rose to her feet. "And he learned his lesson. Every time I walk into the room, he stares at me as if he's listening for my heart beat. It's only after he hears it that he approaches me." Stefan opened his mouth to say something, but Elena rushed on. "But I understand what you're saying. You need time to help your brother in any way you can. I get that you're scared he'll lash out and I respect that. I'll try my best to stay away."

"Thank you," he said, reaching out to take her hands in his. "Now what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to say I think we should take a break. Not from the relationship, but just spend a little less time together. Now that I know Katherine's gone, the timing couldn't be better."

He nodded in agreement. "What brought this on?"

Elena sighed and pulled her hands from his. "The last time I talked to Jenna, she was trying to decide what to wear for her first date with Alaric. This morning, she's talking about how much she's in love with him. It got me thinking about Jeremy and my friends and I can't remember the last time I've seen any of them. I always said I would never be that girl who gets into a relationship and then disappears from the world."

"Yeah, but-"

"I know, the circumstances were different, but no one knows that. So while you're helping your brother, I'll be reconnecting with my friends," she said, smiling brightly at him.

"Will I still get to see you?"

"Of course," she replied and moved forward until she was in his arms. "I won't be trying to get to know my friends again twenty-four-seven just as you can't be babysitting Damon." She giggled at that. "How exactly are you going to help him?"

He shrugged around her. "I haven't really thought of that part yet. I feel like I owe him this, that I should be there. It's my fault he's here in the first place."

Elena lifted her head and looked at him. "Damon told me," she whispered before settling her head back onto his shoulder.

"Katherine was gone and I had already taken our father's blood. I couldn't face eternity alone. I needed him, Elena. I didn't think that he would react that way, but I can't take it back either."

Elena tightened her arms around his waist and pulled him closer. "All that matters is you're both here and you're trying. He's no longer trying to ruin your life and make you pay for turning him. You're both starting to forgive each other." She smiled and moved to place a gentle kiss into his neck. "You're almost back to being the brothers you used to be."

"You think so?" he asked, pulling away to look at her.

She nodded. "If Damon truly resented you, he would have taken me from you and killed me the first chance he had. The fact that he didn't is proof that he came to terms with what happened and the hate wasn't as intense as he once thought."

Elena saw Stefan tense and realized she had said the wrong thing. Stefan knew that wasn't the reason Damon hadn't harmed Elena, but he didn't say anything. As they stared at each other, Isobel's words were putting distance between them both. Stefan cleared his throat and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I should probably go."

"Okay."

"I love you."

"I love you too," she replied and watched as he moved towards her window. Without another word, he disappeared from view. Elena sank onto the edge of the bed and began to think about all the people she needed to talk to and hope that they were still talking to her. With that thought in mind, she got up and headed to the door that led to Jeremy's room in their shared bathroom. If Stefan was going to mend the relationship with his brother, Elena was going to do with same with hers.


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR

Elena knocked on the door and stood in front of it, waiting for her brother to answer. After no response, she knocked again. "Jeremy?"

It was then that the door opened to reveal her brother. His headphones were around his neck and he gave her an expression filled with shock. "You're home."

She nodded, feeling a pang of guilt course through her. She knew she hadn't been the best sister since their parents died, but now was as good a time as any to fix that. "Are you busy today?" she asked, giving him a look that told him how determined she was to be with him today.

"Yes, actually I am."

"Doing what?" she asked as he walked back into his room.

"I'm hanging out with Tyler."

Elena froze and she felt her eyes widen. "Lockwood?"

"How many other Tyler's do you know?" he asked with sarcasm and then snorted. "Never mind. You know everyone."

She chose to ignore the comment. "What are you guys doing?"

"Not much. Just hanging out at his place. He said something about have a few people over, but that's about it."

His vague, non-answer caused little warning bells to sound in the back of Elena's mind. "Jeremy, don't you dare lie to me."

He looked up at her with anger. "Don't talk to me about lying Elena."

She sighed and shook her head. This was not going the way she wanted it to. "I'm sorry Jer, I just..." she paused and felt the tears of frustration welling up in her eyes. "I know I haven't been the best sister lately, but I think it's time we start working on getting back to how we used to be, don't you think?"

Jeremy had been fully prepared for yet another shouting match with her about how she kept him in the dark and had his memories erased, but seeing her like this left him speechless. He found himself nodding and moved to put his arms around her. "I guess you can come with me. I think Tyler will be a little angry that you'll be throwing off his game, but-"

Elena giggled at that and pulled away. "Game? What game?"

Jeremy smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Exactly what I asked him. Let me call him and tell him I've had a change of plans. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Really?"

He nodded. "I've been hanging out with him too much as it is."

"Thanks, Jer," she said and stepped back into her room to give him some privacy as he cancelled his plans with Tyler. When he entered her room from the bathroom, she smiled at him. "What would you like to do?"

"I was hoping you'd come up with the plans."

Elena shrugged. "How about we go out for breakfast?"

"Why not just eat here?"

"Because Alaric is downstairs and Jenna is cooking."

Jeremy laughed at that and shook his head. "Out to breakfast it is," he agreed. Once they were in the car, he turned and looked at his sister. "So...why aren't you with Stefan?"

"Stefan and I decided to take a little break from each other," she answered and noticed the way his eyes widened. "Not from the relationship," she added.

"I don't understand."

"We both realized we've been spending way too much time together and I needed some time to myself to be with my friends and family. That and Katherine left town so I don't have to be around Stefan twenty-four-seven to feel safe."

"She's gone?"

"I don't know if it's for good, but she's gone for now, yeah."

"I'm surprised they haven't killed her yet," he mumbled as he settled back into his seat.

"Me too."

"So what will Stefan be doing?"

"He's making sure Damon doesn't do anything stupid," she answered in a tone that said she wouldn't say any more on the subject. "Since when have you and Tyler become friends?"

"Since the wake. I found him drinking in his dad's office, saying how much he hated that people kept lying to his face about how nice his dad was. I told him the truth because I knew what it felt like. Not that our dad was a bad person, but I could relate to how it felt having people that didn't really know them talk about them like they did."

Elena hadn't paid much attention to his words other than the fact that he had called Grayson their father. All summer, he had referred to them as his parents. To hear him say _our_ instead of _my_ warmed her heart. "I'm glad the two of you were able to put what happened with Vicki behind you. You were both idiots when it came to her."

Jeremy looked at her and smirked. "No argument there." Elena smiled and as she saw the name of the road they were approaching, she swerved the car and made a sharp turn. "What the hell are you doing?" Jeremy asked as he dug his fingers into the dashboard to support himself.

"I think we're both a little overdue on visiting Mom and Dad, don't you think."

"I guess."

When she parked, Elena turned in her seat and looked at him. "Jer?" she asked, trying to place the emotion she saw on his face.

"It's just not fair."

"I know."

"You don't get it," he said and got out.

"Talk to me Jeremy. What's not fair?" she asked as she followed him down the path they both knew like the back of their hands.

"Your parents are still alive."

Elena stopped in her tracks and felt her eyes well up with tears. "Jer-"

"I know that they were your parents too, but you have a real mother and father and you can still talk to them. Psychotic and self righteous as they both might be, they're still there."

Elena shook her head and moved to pull him into a hug. "That's not true and you know it. Isobel means nothing to me and John means even less. He tried to take Damon and Stefan from me. He _did_ take Anna away from you." She pulled back and tried to smile at him. "If Katherine had killed him that night, I wouldn't have held it against her."

Jeremy gave a stiff nod. "Me neither."

Elena reached down and took his hand in hers. "Come on, they're waiting for us," she said and led him to their parents' grave.

* * *

All day, Damon had tried his best to ignore Stefan. Every time he came down from his room, Stefan was there, reading a book in front of the fireplace. It irked him. "Why are you here?" Damon finally asked.

Stefan looked up and placed the book on the end table. "I live here, same as you."

Damon rolled his eyes and began to pour himself a drink. "Yes, I know that, but you've been in that chair all day. As if you could afford to be any more boring," he said and downed the liquid in one swallow. "Where's Elena?"

Stefan shrugged and got to his feet. "Not sure."

"Awe, did you two have a fight?" Damon teased.

"Actually, we're taking a break."

He tensed; he hadn't been expecting that answer. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. She wanted some time to herself, get together with her friends and family because she feels like she's been neglecting them. And I think I've been doing the same."

Damon snorted at that and narrowed his eyes at Stefan. "Please tell me that's not why you've been glued to the chair all day." When he didn't reply, Damon put the glass on the cart and took a step back. "Well, you wasted your time."

"Damon, wait," Stefan said, moving forward until his brother stopped. "We need to put this little feud of ours behind us. I'm sorry I made you turn."

"I feel so much better now, thank you," Damon replied in a sarcastic tone.

"I mean it Damon. After I killed Father, I realized it didn't matter if Katherine was gone or not, I just wanted my brother. I thought that if I got you to turn as well, we could go back to the way we used to be before she came between us." He paused as Damon turned around and met his gaze. "I really am sorry."

Damon didn't say a word; he had nothing to say. Instead, he headed for the front door, grabbing his keys from the side table.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you."

"Damon-"

"I know you've been watching me, waiting to see if the big, bad Damon will return because Katherine left, but I should warn you that your lurking around is probably what's going to cause me to snap."

"I know she hurt you and I want to be there for you."

Damon shook his head and smirked at Stefan. "Now you're starting to remind me of that asshole from Twilight. Edwin was it?"

"Edward," Stefan corrected in a stiff voice.

"The fact that you know that saddens me. I should stake you now and put you out of your misery," he said and began to walk towards his car. He paused after opening the door and looked back at Stefan. "Unless you want to go hunting with me, I'd advise that you stay here and out of my way." When Stefan didn't move, Damon shrugged and got in behind the wheel.

As he pulled out onto the road, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. It was bad enough that he had been cooped up in his room all day, but he had yet to change the sheets and fix his closet. Being in there was a constant reminder of that night and no amount of alcohol could block out the vivid images that were constantly playing in his mind. As he put a bit more pressure on the gas pedal, he made a new goal for himself; put more liquor in his system and pick up his next meal. The more he thought of that, the easier it was to ignore the images.

His thoughts drifted to what Stefan had said and he felt a small dose of guilt course through his system. "I hate you," he mumbled, thinking of the woman who had destroyed his life multiple times. Not only had she condemned him to live eternity alone, she ruined the relationship he had with his brother and took away the _one_ girl that made him feel something. For the thousandth time, he found himself uttering what he claimed as his new mantra. "She'll remember. She has to."

With that, Damon turned up the stereo and sped off in search of his next meal.

* * *

Elena knocked on Jeremy's door for the second time that day. They had talked at the cemetery, gotten breakfast, seen a movie, and then came back home. By that time, Tyler had made other plans, leaving the siblings alone with nothing to do. Jeremy opened the door and went back to his desk. "What's up?"

"Jenna called and said we're on our own for dinner. We can either order in or we can go to the Grill."

"Grill," he answered quickly, getting to his feet equally as fast.

Elena nodded and understood his need to get out of the house. "Good choice," she said and walked to her bedroom to get a light jacket. It was warm and muggy outside as always in the deep Southern climate, but the Grill always got cold.

"Tyler said he would meet us there. Is that okay?"

"Sure," she answered and led him to her car. "Thanks for hanging out with me today."

He nodded and climbed into the passenger seat of the car. "Thanks for forcing me to do it," he returned with a smirk.

"I promise I'll never lie to you again about this stuff, okay?"

He nodded. "I know you were trying to protect me, but I can handle myself."

She reached out and touched the ring on his finger. "Yeah, now you can."

He looked down at it and began sliding it off before extending it to her. "I think you need this more than I do."

"No, John gave it to you."

"I don't want anything that has to do with him."

"And you think I do?"

"Dad wanted you to have it," she added, knowing that that tidbit would be the one that got through to him. "It gives me peace of mind to know that you'll be okay if anything comes up."

"What about you?"

She shrugged because she had nothing to say. Fortunately, Jeremy didn't say anything else and they rode the rest of the way in silence. Tyler was waiting out front and the way he and Jeremy greeted with an invented handshake made Elena giggle. "You two amaze me."

"What's the matter Gilbert?" Tyler teased. "Jealous that I like your little brother more than I like you?"

"You wish," she returned and followed them, listening to Tyler ramble on about whatever game he was playing earlier. "I'll catch up with you in a minute," she stated, not sure if they heard her. She had felt her phone go off in her pocket and discovered a text from Stefan.

_Damon went out for a bit. Be careful._

She frowned at the message. _I'll be fine_, she typed back and returned the phone to her pocket. As she opened the door to enter the restaurant, someone pulled it back to let themselves out. Elena found herself face-to-face with Damon and the far from sober sorority girl on his arm. They said nothing, just stared at each other with an intensity that frightened them both. He could see the judgement in her eyes and he hated himself for the fact that he felt ashamed. He cleared his throat and stepped aside to let her pass. Elena slipped inside without a word and made her way to the table where Jeremy and Tyler were waiting for her.

Damon was pulled from his thoughts as the girl's hand slid up his chest. "Are we going to your place now?" she slurred.

That had been the original plan, but after seeing Elena, he knew he couldn't wait that long. "Change of plans, Sweetheart," he said and picked her up, using his super speed to bring her to the side of the building where they were completely out of sight. Without even a warning or warming up of any kind, Damon lodged his fangs into the girl's neck and muffled her screams with his hand.

And just like last time, the blood left him feeling unsatisfied in comparison with how Elena's had made him feel. This time, he forced himself to keep drinking. He felt the woman going limp in his arms and cursed when he no longer heard her heartbeat. He pulled away and licked his lips before hoisting the body over his shoulder in order to dispose of it.

* * *

Elena slid onto the bench next to Jeremy, glad that neither boy seemed to notice the trance-like state of mind she was in. She had felt the air sizzle between her and Damon outside; felt the warmth that traveled down her body to the juncture between her thighs. She shivered and closed her eyes only to be rewarded with the image of Damon's eyes gazing into hers.

"Eeelennnaa!" came Jeremy's voice as he snapped his fingers in front of her face. Her head snapped up towards him and she felt herself blushing. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she lied and gave him a fake smile. "What did you need?"

He nodded his head in her direction and she turned to the waitress. "What can I get for you?" she asked sweetly.

After they placed their orders, she noticed Jeremy and Tyler watching her cautiously. "I'm alright you guys, relax," she insisted.

Tyler was the first to nod and he looked at Jeremy. "So as I was saying..."

Elena tuned them out as her thoughts went to the girl Damon had left with. She couldn't help but wonder if anyone would ever see that girl again. With that thought, Elena felt guilty and a wave of nausea hit her. She should have done something; made the girl go back inside and tell Damon to drink the blood bags at home. Then again, if it wasn't that girl, it would have been another and Elena knew there really was nothing she could have done. With a sigh, she forced herself to push any thoughts of Damon aside, even as she felt the tingles on her skin from the thought of his name alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n: So from here on out, all mistakes are mine. Zoraya, you've been amazing and I'll miss working with you :) Thanks for everything :) Alright readers, I've decided to let you know whether or not a chapter will feature D/E interaction or not...just so you're not filled with hope if nothing happens. I appreciate you guys being patient and waiting to see how Elena remembers everything :) This chapter will have D/E in it :)**

FIVE

Two days after she and Jeremy put an end to their fight, Jenna informed the two of them that she was inviting Alaric over for dinner and she wanted the both of them there. Since she announced that he would be cooking, her niece and nephew were more than happy to agree. "Did you want to invite Stefan?" Jenna asked before Alaric was due to arrive.

Elena mulled it over for a moment or two and shook her head. "Nah, I think it would be better to have some real family time," she said, earning a very big smile from her aunt.

"Are you sure the two of you aren't fighting?" she asked.

"I'm sure."

"It's just...well, you don't even talk about him."

"I talk to him every day," she assured her. "He's trying to patch things up with his brother."

Jenna snorted at that. "Somehow I don't see that happening."

Elena stilled for a moment, forgetting that Jenna wasn't too fond of him anymore. Ever since she had witnessed the kiss between Katherine and Damon, she had changed her feelings about him. "You never know."

"Does Damon know about this little break you two are taking?"

Elena nodded and began unloading the dishwasher. "I'm sure Stefan told him. He probably figured something was up since I haven't been over there in three days. Why?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm just surprised he hasn't shown up here to try and woo you."

"Woo me?" Elena asked, unable to contain her laughter. "I'm pretty sure I'm the last thing on Damon's mind right now." Elena winced at her own words because she knew his thoughts were probably focused on the pain Katherine had caused by leaving him again. For some reason, that made her feel a little jealous. She shook her shoulders and forced that thought away, glad for the distraction the doorbell provided.

"Come in!" Jenna shouted.

Elena looked at her in alarm. She hated when Jenna did that. For all she knew, a blood thirsty vampire was on the other side of the door. Alaric walked into the kitchen and returned Elena's weary look before Jenna threw her arms around him. "I'll give you two a moment," she replied and smirked at the couple as she headed up to her room.

As soon as she closed the door, she decided it was time she talked to Stefan. The past few days without him had been hard, but she knew if she talked to him, she would tell him their break was stupid and they would go right back to being joined at the hip. Now, she was confident that she could talk to him without doing that. He answered on the first ring. "Hi."

"Hi," she returned and sat on the bench beneath her window.

"What are you up to?"

"Hiding in my room while Alaric and Jenna make dinner. You?"

"I'm in the parlor."

Elena nodded and leaned back against the wall as she stretched her legs out in front of her. "So, I told Jenna tonight was all about family, but do you think you could come over later? I miss you," she admitted.

"I miss you too," he returned and she knew he was smiling. "I think that could be arranged. Just let me know when family time is almost over. I'll probably go hunting first."

"It would probably be better if you came later anyway. I don't want Jenna to bombard you with questions." Silence passed between them, allowing Elena to hear the bass beat coming from Jeremy's room. "How's Damon?"

"He won't talk to me. Every time I try to apologize or start a conversation, he threatens me and leaves the room."

"Is he there now?" she asked, trying not to think about the last time she had seen him.

"He mentioned something about needing to fix his closet, but that was hours ago."

At the mention of the word closet, Elena's eyes closed and she could feel her fingers curled around the silky material of his shirts. She could feel the rack giving way as she tugged a little too hard. Elena shook herself and her eyes flew open. Where the hell had that come from?

"Why?" she heard Stefan asked.

"Just wondering," she answered, wincing at the hoarse sound of her voice.

"Elena? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, not quite sure what else to say. Fortunately, she didn't have to try and explain herself because Jenna was shouting for her. "Jenna's calling for me. I'll let you know when dinner's over."

"Alright, see you later," he said and hung up, ignoring her strange behavior.

Elena wandered downstairs and smirked at the sight of Alaric trying to shove Jenna out of the kitchen. "Oh good," Alaric breathed with relief. "Elena, I need some assistance."

"Rick!" Jenna exclaimed playfully as she smacked his arm.

"See, I told you he only likes your cooking because we don't have a dog," Elena teased, earning a glare from Jenna.

"Yeah, yeah. Maybe I should get one and see if that's true or not," she said as she went to the living room, leaving Alaric and Elena alone in the kitchen.

When Alaric was sure Jenna wasn't going to come back inside, he looked at Elena. "You were right."

She gave him a small smile. "What about?"

"That I should tell Jenna everything I know. Everything _we_ know," he corrected and began chopping some of the ingredients.

"What made you decide?"

"Just now. When she called out for whoever was at the door. I could have been a blood thirsty vampire for all she knew," he said, echoing Elena's earlier thoughts. "Like you said, everyone else knows and it's not fair for me to keep that part of my life from her. That's what tore Isobel and I apart."

"No, what tore you and Isobel apart was the fact that she became obsessed. Whether she had been up front about it with you or not, she would have chosen to become a vampire and leave you behind." Elena knew her words stung, but Alaric needed to hear them.

He laughed slightly, startling Elena. "Funny. Damon said something like that to me once."

Elena averted her eyes and cleared her throat. "When do you want to tell her?"

"As soon as possible. I was hoping you and Stefan would be here to help me. I figured if she sees it's real she'll believe it faster," he said and paused his work to look at her. "Speaking of Stefan, Jenna said you two are taking a break? Everything okay?"

Elena sighed; that assumption was going to get old very fast. "We're still together, I just needed some time to myself. I wanted to spend more time with my friends and family because I've been neglecting them and Stefan wants to keep his eye on Damon since Katherine left."

"She left?"

Elena nodded. "We have no idea if she'll be coming back, but for the moment she's gone." She shrugged her shoulders and changed the subject. "Anyway, Stefan's coming over tonight so I'll talk to him about it and I'll get back to you. Sound good?"

Alaric inclined his head. "Thank you."

"And Jeremy will be sitting in too. I promised I wouldn't leave him out of anything anymore."

"What did I do?" Jeremy asked as he entered the kitchen.

Elena grinned at him. "We're planning on telling Jenna about everything."

His brow rose in question as he looked at his sister. "You really think that's a good idea?"

"It's not fair that we keep lying to her," Elena stated. "I'm going to talk to Stefan when I see him tonight and I'll let you both know."

All three of them looked up with guilty expressions as Jenna came into the room. She peered at all of them. "I have this funny feeling that you were talking about me."

"That's because we were," Jeremy answered and walked past her to the living room.

"Come on Jenna, let's let Alaric work in peace," Elena said and led her aunt from the room.

"I thought he needed your help."

"Nope, just wanted you out of his way," she quipped and smiled at her.

"You just think you're so funny don't you?" Jenna mumbled as she sat down next to her and Jeremy who was already watching something on TV. Elena smiled as she sat back and let herself enjoy the nearness of her family. It was the little bit of normality that she had been craving.

* * *

Elena and Jeremy sat back in their chairs at the same time. "That was amazing," Jeremy muttered as Elena said, "I'm so full."

"They're right," Jenna said as she beamed at her boyfriend. "That was the best meal I've had in God knows how long."

Alaric smiled at the compliments. "It's been awhile since I've had a reason to cook."

"Feel free to do it for us anytime. You're practically family," Jenna stated and let her gaze slip to Elena before she could stop herself.

To avoid any awkward tension, Elena ignored the comment and stood up. "Be right back," she informed them and went upstairs to get her phone from the charger. She sat on the edge of her bed and opened a new message. _Dinner's over._

Luckily, she didn't have to wait long for his response. _I should be there in two hours at the most._

She always wondered why his hunts always took so long when Damon's took only a few minutes, but she never had gathered enough courage to ask him. _See you later._

Since her phone still wasn't done charging, she left it on her nightstand and headed back downstairs. When she spotted Jenna and Alaric sharing an intimate moment while cleaning up, Elena opted for joining her brother in the living room. "Anything you want to watch?" he asked without looking up.

"Not really," she replied and stood behind the couch as she watched him flip through channels. As he went over one of the news stations, something caught her eye. "Go back!" she demanded.

Elena felt her blood turn to ice as her heart skipped a beat. It was hard to breathe as she stared at the picture of the missing woman displayed on the screen. She had only gotten a quick glimpse of the woman, but Elena had no doubt it was the one she had seen leaving with Damon a few days ago.

"Elena?" Jeremy asked, his head turned to look at her over his shoulder.

"Um, I have to go..." she said, eyes glued to the screen until the picture was removed. "Just make something up for Jenna, okay?"

"Elena, what is it?" Jeremy asked, but she was already out of the room.

Elena drove as if someone were trying to chase her off the road. She flew through every red light, ignored stop signs, and did just about every illegal thing there was to do. She had barely shut off the car before opening her door and marching up to the front of the boarding house. Without knocking, she went inside, only to be greeted by the man who currently fueled her anger.

Damon raised the glass to his lips and finished the liquid before turning to see Elena. "What can I do for you?"

"Did you kill her?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

He knew exactly what she was talking about and was surprised that she cared. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"That woman you left the Grill with a couple days ago, she's missing. Her picture was on the news."

Damon stared at her, keeping his face expressionless. He was surprised that she remembered what the woman had looked like. "You'll have to be more specific than that, Elena. They all kind of blur together after awhile."

She glared at him and surprised Damon yet again when she placed her hand on her hip. "You know _exactly_ which woman I'm referring to."

Damon returned her glare and sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to back down. "What do you want me to say, Elena? Yes, I killed her and no, I'm not sorry about it."

She shook her head, her eyes filled with disappointment as she looked at him. "You're allowed to be as depressed as you want, but you can't go around killing people."

"Yes, actually I can," he replied.

"Damon-"

"It's done and over with. She's dead. Nothing I do is going to change what happened."

"There were people who saw you leave with her!" Elena yelled, her hands balling into fists at her sides.

His face softened; she was worried about him. "Ah, I get it," he breathed and couldn't resist the urge to smile a little. "You're worried about me."

"No, I'm worried about you getting careless," she answered quickly. "I know that you drink human blood, I've come to terms with that, but at least you used to do it with tact."

His head cocked to the side. "Tact?"

She let out a noise of frustration and Damon pressed his lips into a hard line to hold back his smile. "The Damon that I've come to be friends with wouldn't kill anyone in Mystic Falls anymore. Especially not with what's been going on here lately."

"Elena-"

"Katherine left and I know it's killing you, but-"

"Stop it right there," he demanded, taking a step forward. He stopped himself as her body straightened and fear flashed in her eyes. "This had nothing to do with Katherine."

"You really are an idiot if you expect me to believe that. You had to have known getting back together with her was a stupid idea."

He shook his head and turned towards the stairs. "I don't have time for this, Elena."

"Your shirts aren't going anywhere."

Damon stopped dead in his tracks and his entire body went numb. For a second, the room began to spin and he felt woozy on his feet. Slowly, he turned back around to see her. "How did you know about the shirts?"

"Stefan told me," she breathed even though her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the vision she had had in her room.

"Impossible," Damon said. "I told him something needed to be fixed in the closet. I didn't tell him what it was."

Elena met his gaze and drew a sharp breath at the hopeful expression in his eyes. "I..." she didn't know what to say. "I should go," she whispered and hurried to the door.

"Elena, wait!" he shouted, but for whatever reason, his legs wouldn't move to go after her. All he could do was stare at the place where she had been and let that little bit of hope rise and take over his emotions. If she knew about the shirts, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the memories returned.

* * *

Elena drove just as illegally on the way home as she had on the way to the boarding house. She ran from her car and slammed the door behind her in order to lean against it and try to catch her breath. Just as her heart rate seemed to slow down, Jeremy came racing down the stairs and looked at her with wild eyes. "Where the hell did you go?" he asked quietly as he grabbed her arm and led her to the living room.

"I just needed some air."

He let go of her and she saw the anger on his face. "Elena, I thought you said-"

"The picture that was on the news earlier," she started, knowing it would be a horrible idea to keep secrets from him. "It was the same girl I saw leaving the Grill with Damon the night we hung out. It said she was missing and I jumped to conclusions and-"

"Are you out of your mind?" he asked, his eyes growing big. "You suspected Damon of killing someone and you run over there to accuse him?"

She nodded. "I know it was stupid, but I had to know."

Jeremy shook his head and raked his hand through his hair as he paced the back of the couch. "Well? What did he have to say for himself?"

"He told me that he did feed from her, but he left her alive. He compelled her, of course, but she was alive."

"And you believe him?" he asked skeptically.

Elena nodded briefly. "Yes."

Jeremy stunned her by pulling her to him. "Thank God you're okay."

"Damon wouldn't have hurt me," she assured him, her words muffled as she spoke into his shirt. It was starting to irritate her that people assumed Damon would lash out at her because he was angry at Katherine.

Jeremy nodded above her and stepped back. "I know you believe that, but there's always a chance." Before Elena could say anything in Damon's defense, Jeremy nodded towards the stairs. "Jenna and Alaric are upstairs."

Elena wrinkled her nose. "And you felt the need to share that information, why?"

He shrugged and smirked at her. "If I have suffer, you do too."

She watched as he grabbed his jacket from the rack by the door. "Where are you off to?"

"Tyler's. I'm not staying here with those two. Especially not if Stefan's coming over," he answered and shut the door behind him.

Not wanting to stay in the living room in case Jenna or Alaric came down for anything, Elena hurried up to her room only to find Stefan sitting on her bed. She moved slowly, not liking the expression on his face and the way he just sat there, staring off into space. It unnerved her, the fact that he hadn't acknowledged her presence. "How long have you been here?" she asked quietly.

He looked up at her then and found her answer in the pain reflected in his eyes. "You really went to see Damon?"

"Stefan-"

"I asked you to stay away from him, Elena. He's not stable."

"He seemed pretty stable to me," she argued.

"You shouldn't put so much trust in him."

"Why not? I thought you were supposed to be patching things up with him? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you don't sound like you're making any progress. It actually sounds like you've taken a step back," Elena stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

She watched as his body relaxed and his expression softened. "I'm sorry," he said quietly and stood up. "His mood must be contagious. I really am trying to mend our relationship, but he's making it so difficult."

Elena nodded and let go of some of the anger she felt. "He's going through a rough patch. He'll come around."

"He's been like this for a century and a half, Elena. It's who he is. He-"

Elena stepped forward and placed her hand over his mouth. "Forget it. I don't want to talk about Damon or Katherine right now, okay?" He nodded and she dropped her hand, sighing as he pulled her into his arms.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Alaric wants to tell Jenna about everything that's been going on behind her back. I agreed and so did Jeremy. We were wondering if you would be there to give her some real proof."

Stefan went still as he mulled the idea over in his head and then nodded. "I can't think of any reason not to tell her. Just let me know when and I'll be there."

"Thank you."

It was silent as they stood in the middle of her room in each other's arms. Elena felt Stefan's thumbs begin to trace patterns on her lower back and she felt her body relax. She moved closer and positioned her lips against the side of his neck, placing gentle kisses along his skin. He pulled back and cupped her face. "Elena..." he breathed.

She knew the tone of his voice meant he wasn't in the mood. "I need you," she whispered.

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I need you too," he returned.

"But?"

He sighed and stepped away from her. "But I'm not in a very stable mood."

Elena knew it meant that he wasn't sure if he would be able to control the urge to bite her. She stared at the ground, trying not to show him how disappointed she was. Stefan ground his teeth together. He wanted to be with her, but there had been too much going on with his brother, he just wasn't in the mood to try and fight his urges.

"Okay," she whispered and began gathering her night clothes before heading to the bathroom. When she returned, Stefan was lying under the comforter with the other side turned down for her. "What are you doing?"

"I promised I would spend some time with you."

Elena could only nod. It wasn't exactly the way she had planned to spend time with him, but her fights with Damon, Jeremy, and Stefan had drained her. She crawled under the covers and allowed Stefan to hold her. "Night," she breathed.

"Good night, Elena," he returned and watched as she adjusted so that her back was turned to him. He sighed, knowing he had a lot of making up to do.


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n: no D/E in this chapter, but I think the end will make up for it. I'll try to update every other day and One Kiss will be updated first thing Sunday morning since there is FINALLY a new episode!**

SIX

Elena woke up to the smell of coffee. Her eyes opened to see Stefan sitting at her side holding a cup near her face. When he saw that she was awake, he smiled and put the mug down on her nightstand. "Morning."

"Morning," she said and pushed herself into a sitting position.

"I would like to start off by saying I know I was a jerk last night."

Elena shook her head and gave him a small smile. "I know that being intimate is hard for you."

"I meant the Damon thing," he said. "But yeah, there was that too."

"I wasn't exactly the nicest person either. I shouldn't have gone to see him. I should have just told you and let you handle it."

Stefan smiled and shook his head. "No. I'm glad that you talked to him. I went over there this morning to get something and he was in a better mood. And by that I mean he didn't threaten me or make some snide comment." He shrugged and got to his feet. "You're his friend, Elena and if he's going through a rough patch, he'll be more likely to listen to you than me." He extended a hand to her. "But I don't want to talk about him right now. I want to make up for my behavior last night."

Elena nodded and took his hand, letting him help her to her feet. "Where are we going?" she asked as he began moving towards the door.

"Just downstairs. I made breakfast."

She nodded, glad that she didn't need to change out of her pajamas, and followed his lead. Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull at the amount of food that was spread out on the dining room table. "How long have you been awake?" she asked.

"I never really went to sleep. I knew you were mad so I had to think of a really good way to fix it."

Elena smiled and moved to kiss his cheek. "You didn't have to do all of this."

"Yes I did," he argued and then frowned. "I looked in your fridge and nothing in there was going to cut it."

Elena's eyes narrowed at his words. "Cut it for what?" she asked cautiously, getting a strange vibe from him.

"All in due time," he assured her and moved to pull out one of the chairs.

She stared at him as she slowly sat on the chair. "You're starting to freak me out a little bit."

He placed a kiss onto her forehead and smiled before taking a seat in the chair next to her. "It's nothing bad, I promise."

"I think that's what scaring me," she mumbled and watched as he piled a variety of food onto her plate.

He chuckled to himself, but chose not to comment. Instead, he made a plate for himself and the pair began to eat. "Alaric was leaving when I came back."

Elena nearly choked on her food. "That must have been awkward."

"A little," he replied as if it were no big deal. "I think it was more awkward for him, because he was trying to be sneaky about it. Anyway, I talked to him about the Jenna thing and we both agreed that the sooner we tell her, the better."

Elena nodded and drank some of her water. "I think that would be for the best."

"Does tonight work?"

Suddenly, the idea of telling Jenna became real and Elena felt a little unsure, but she nodded anyway. "Like you said, the sooner, the better. I'll let Jeremy know when he wakes up."

After that, they elapsed into silence until they were done eating. Stefan cleared away the table and then returned to her side. He sat in the chair and reached out to take her hands in his. "I need to say this and you need to hear it."

Elena nodded slowly, still unable to tell if what he was going to say would be good or bad. "Okay."

"When I first met you, I did want you to be Katherine. When it became clear that you weren't, I was very glad. The moment I got you to breathe again was the moment I felt something I hadn't felt in a century and a half. Elena, I fell in love with you at first sight and it had nothing to do with Katherine."

Elena felt her eyes grow wide as he slipped out of his chair and knelt before her. "Stefan-"

"Let me finish," he urged and looked up at her. "Katherine's gone and we can finally start to put all of that behind us." He paused and let go of one of her hands in order to retrieve something from his pocket. Elena's heart skipped a beat as he held up a simple silver band between his thumb and forefinger. "I don't want you to make any life changing decisions now, but this is my way of promising that I'll be there when you're ready. I want to be with you for as long as you'll let me."

It was on the tip of Elena's tongue to tell him that there was no guarantee that Katherine had left for good. For all they knew, she would come back tomorrow and wreak havoc like she had been promising to do since she chased John out of town. She also had to hold back from telling him that she hadn't even considered turning as an option; not yet anyway.

"Elena?" he asked, looking at her with question as he saw the unease and indecision pass through her eyes.

"This is a big step, Stefan."

"I know, but I'm ready to take it if you are."

Elena thought a little more, knowing that if she said no, they're relationship would pretty much be over. The look on his face that she imagined tore her heart to pieces and she nodded her head. "I think I'm ready," she said quietly.

Eagerly, he slipped the ring onto her finger and stood up so that he could kiss her. He kissed her with a level of passion she hadn't experienced from him, leaving her to wonder why he had chosen now to show that side of himself. "I love you."

She smiled as he sat back in the chair. "I love you too."

Stefan saw the smile fade from her eyes and his head tipped to the side. "Something wrong?"

"I was thinking about Damon." As she said that, his jaw hardened and she winced. "That's not what I meant," she said tersely. "It's in relation to telling Jenna. I think he should be there to fill in the gaps."

"Why? We can do this without him."

"I know, but we'll be talking about him and he might be able to answer the darker questions that Jenna might have. It just seems a little unfair to leave him out of it."

"Elena-"

"He's a part of your life, Stefan; he's family. That's not something I take lightly and I know you don't either. Otherwise, you wouldn't be trying this hard to patch things up between the two of you. If I'm going to be in your life, I should get to know your brother a little better."

"This is the longest he's been in my life since we were human," he admitted.

"Hey," Elena started and reached for his hand. "There is nothing going on between me and your brother. I will not let history repeat itself. I will _not_ be like Katherine."

Stefan nodded, satisfied with her answer. "I still think we should leave him out of it. He's not stable enough to be around and the last thing I need is for your aunt to lash out at him. His first instinct won't be to back down."

Elena's jaw dropped; she hadn't even thought of that. "I guess you're right. You can tell him about it after it's done."

Stefan nodded and relaxed in his chair. "That I can handle."

Elena sighed and rested her head in her hand, her elbow on the table. "So it's settled. We'll tell Jenna everything tonight."

* * *

Jenna sat on the couch while everyone else sat somewhere where they could look at her. She stared at each of them with confusion. "I'm starting to feel like this is an intervention of some kind. I know I drink, but I'm not _that_ much of a lush," she stated and then looked at Alaric with a bit of fear. "Am I?"

"No," he answered and gave her a smile. "That's not what this is about."

Her eyes widened and she looked between Jeremy and Elena. "Did something happen? Am I going to lose you two?"

"No, Jenna, that's not it either," Jeremy assured her.

She let out a small breath of relief and her eyes came to rest upon Stefan. Shock widened her eyes and she shot forward to sit on the edge of the couch. "Did you get Elena pregnant?"

"What? No!" Elena answered, her cheeks turning a deep shade of crimson.

Stefan could only smile at the idea. It was something he hadn't been able to do in a very long time. "Then what is it? You guys are killing me with suspense here."

Everyone but Jenna exchanged an uneasy glance before nodding at Stefan. He turned his attention to Jenna and took a deep breath. "What do you know about vampires?"

Jenna narrowed her eyes and started to laugh, but saw that everyone had a serious expression on their face. "They make for bad Sci-Fi movies and they're the most popular Halloween costume," she answered, trying her best to be serious as well. "What do _you _know about vampires?" she countered.

Stefan looked at Elena and she nodded. He took a moment and stared at the ground. When he lifted his face again, his fangs had lengthened and his eyes were surrounded with the red and blue veins. Jenna sucked in a large breath and stood up quickly. "What the..."

"It's real, Jenna. Whatever your mind is doing to try and rationalize this is a lie," Alaric told her as he carefully got to his feet to try and comfort her. "Stefan is a vampire. He and Damon have been dead since 1864."

"No. No, no, no, no," Jenna said rapidly as she shook her head. Stefan retracted his fangs and Elena moved closer to him, hopefully sending the message that he was safe to be around. "H-how?" she breathed after realizing that she was the only one freaking out.

Stefan pressed his lips together, mentally preparing himself to go over the story of Katherine one more time. As he launched into the tale, he noticed Elena moved away from him and went into her own little world. The last thing she needed to do was hear about Katherine yet again. By the time Stefan was done, he could see that Jenna was still grasping at certain points. He even noticed Jeremy looking at him with wide eyes, making him wonder if this was the first time he had heard the story in full.

"So..." Jenna started. "The girl I saw kissing Damon on the porch was Katherine and not Elena?"

That brought Elena back to reality and she nodded. "Yup, that would have been my evil twin," she mumbled.

"How will I know it's you?"

"I'll be wearing this," Elena said and held up her necklace. "It has vervain in it. It's an herb that keeps a vampire from compelling you to do their bidding. I put it in your tea every morning."

"You've been drugging me?" she asked dryly.

"Not exactly," Stefan replied. "It does exactly what she said; keeps us out of your head."

"But you could still kill us just as easily."

Stefan could only nod. "Pretty much."

Elena took a deep breath and moved to sit next to Jenna. "Now, you've heard about their past, you should also know about mine. Obviously, I'm related to Katherine, but there's more."

Elena looked to Alaric and he nodded, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "I don't think I can take much more, Elena," Jenna admitted.

"Just this and then we're done," she promised and continued. "It's about my birth mother. She's a vampire too. Damon was the one who turned her. That's why Alaric came to town; to get revenge by killing Damon."

Jenna turned to her boyfriend. "Is that true?"

He nodded briefly. "I knew she wasn't dead. Not when her major revolved around the supernatural. It just never made any sense to me."

"How did you find out it was Damon?" Stefan asked.

"I have my sources," he answered carefully.

Stefan nodded out of respect and looked back at Jenna who was focused on Elena. "Have you met her?"

Elena smiled bitterly as Isobel's words rang in her ears. _Because he's in love with you._ She shook herself and took a deep breath. "Yes. She's horrible."

"Did she tell you who your father is?"

Even Jenna could feel the awkward tension in the room and knew she wasn't going to like the answer. "No, but Damon was able to put two and two together."

"Well?"

Elena swallowed over the lump in her throat. "John," she breathed. "John is my father."

Jenna gasped and immediately pulled Elena into a tight hug. "Oh God. That's horrible!"

Her actions made Elena smile. "You don't have to tell me twice."

Jenna let go of her and got to her feet. "Well, thanks for including me, but I need to lie down and process this." Stefan could hear her blood rushing as she fought the urge to run away screaming. He had to give her more credit than he originally had. "As for you, we'll talk later," she said with a serious voice.

Stefan's eyes went wide and he nodded. Alaric got up and followed Jenna up to her room. "I think she took it rather well," Stefan said as he looked at Elena.

"A lot better than I thought she would," Jeremy agreed.

"Hopefully she doesn't intend to put a stake through your heart," Elena teased as she looked at Stefan. "God knows Alaric as enough ammunition for her to try."

Stefan shook his head and smiled. "I think we're safe. I don't hear any conspiracy's being made at the moment."

Jeremy shook his head and sighed as the couple embraced. "And that's my cue to leave. See you two lovebirds later," he said and headed for the front door.

"I should probably go too," Stefan said into her hair. Meaning he wanted to see what his brother was up to.

"If you have to," Elena mumbled and pulled away from his hold in order to walk him to the door.

Stefan stepped onto the porch and Elena stood in the threshold. "Maybe we can do something tomorrow?"

She shrugged. "I think that defeats the purpose of the break. I've already spent the last twenty-four hours with you."

He gave her a smile and cupped her face. "I had to try."

"I think I'll call Matt and see what he's up to."

"Matt?"

"Really? Come on Stefan, he's-"

He cut her off with a quick kiss. "No, I just thought after Jeremy you would try catching up with Bonnie or Caroline."

"Oh," she replied and smiled apologetically. "I guess not."

He smiled and pulled her to him. "So I'll text you then?"

"Sounds good."

He pulled his head back to smile and lowered his lips to hers. As he began to deepen the kiss, Elena felt her body relax and she melted into his embrace. As she closed her eyes, she was rewarded with the sight of Damon. He wasn't just standing somewhere in her line of sight, he was standing right in front of her and he was leaning in. The moment their lips met, she felt it. She felt it even though Stefan was kissing her.

Her eyes sprang open and she pulled away from Stefan immediately. "Elena?"

"If you stay here any longer, I won't be able to let you leave," she said, giving him a forced smile. "Night," she said and closed the door as she slipped back inside the house. Immediately, she rested her back against it and placed one hand over her racing heart and the other over her lips. Her eyes closed again as she wondered why in the world her thoughts had turned to Damon while kissing her boyfriend. There was only one answer and it scared her to even think about it.


	7. Chapter 7

**a/n: First off, I would like to thank each and every one of you for sticking with me through this story so far :) it means a lot :)**

**Secondly, I would like to explain my reasonings for last chapter. When I wrote it, I was writing it as Stefan giving her the ring because he was insecure. He didn't want to stake his claim...it was more of now that Elena's had time to realize how much danger her friends and family have been in by just being around him that had him thinking that maybe she would back out. He thinks he's losing her because she wanted to take a break. I really am sorry if you guys didn't like that decision, but it won't really be a big part of the story. It comes up once or twice more and it's a catalyst for something else. But again, it was NOT a proposal...it was just Stefan wanting reassurance, nothing more. Trust me, there will be no Stelena wedding... *shudders***

**And a few people are tired of Damon always sitting on the sidelines, but he won't be doing that for much longer. I warned you guys in the beginning that he wouldn't be in it as much at first. Don't worry, it will all make sense later and for the people that think Elena will be with Stefan even after she gets her memories back, have a little faith :) I might be a bit mean to Damon in this one, but I wouldn't make him suffer like that. All I'm going to say is that chapter six was the start of Stelena's destruction.**

**Just remember, Elena said YES to _Katherine_ because she wanted to, not because she was forced to.**

**I posted part 6, the wedding story, of my Nothing Without You series :) it's called Forever and Always**

SEVEN

Elena shut the book she was reading with more force than necessary. She sighed heavily, knowing that she was bored. It had been three days since they had the sit down with Jenna. Her aunt seemed to take it well, but Alaric said they needed to keep a close eye on her, just in case she was still in shock. To Elena, it seemed that Jenna was more in denial than anything. She would change the conversation every time someone brought up the subject. Elena had convinced herself that staying home was the right thing to do. She had to make sure that Jenna was okay.

She had kept her texts with Stefan to a minimum. He caught on early the first day when she only responded to a few of his messages. Since then, if Elena didn't have something important to say, she didn't say anything at all. She tried everything to tell herself that it had nothing to do with the kiss on the porch. Elena shut her eyes. Just thinking about Damon made her shiver.

When she opened her eyes again, she stared at the ring on her finger. She had been wearing it and although it felt heavy, she couldn't seem to take it off. The more she stared at it, the more she realized just how much it was wearing her down. WIth that, she removed it and stuck in the drawer of her nightstand. A sigh escaped her lips as the weight seemed to disappear.

Elena got to her feet and grabbed her phone from the nightstand before heading downstairs. It was time to set Jenna straight and force her to talk. Elena heard the clinking of plates from the dishwasher and entered the kitchen to see her aunt loading the machine. "Jenna, we need to talk."

"No we don't," she answered without looking up.

"This is all real, Jenna. You need to stop thinking that this is a dream and-"

"I know it's real, Elena," she said and turned around to face her niece. "I'm having a little bit of trouble knowing that you're in so much danger."

Elena's eyes widened; she hadn't been expecting that answer.

"Your boyfriend and his brother are both blood thirsty monsters. You're over there constantly. How many times has your life been in jeopardy because of them? How many days of school have you missed because you..." Jenna's voice broke and she took a deep breath to pull herself together. "And I know I can't keep you from seeing them; that's the worst part."

"Jenna-"

"Every time you and Jeremy leave the house, I'm going to constantly be worried about what might happen."

"The ring that John gave Jeremy, that will protect him. Alaric has the same one. As long as they wear the rings, they'll always be safe."

"And what about you?"

Elena thought for a moment before answering truthfully. "I have the Salvatores."

"What if that's not enough?"

She did not want to think of that. "I don't know, Jenna. I really don't."

There was a moment of silence before Jenna spoke again. "I hate this."

"I know."

"How the hell did you manage to keep this from me for so long? Let alone the fact that you're okay dating a dead guy."

Elena's lips quirked into a smirk even as she tried to stop it from happening. "It freaked me out in the beginning, but I wasn't ready to let go of Stefan just yet. It was either be okay with it or go crazy for the rest of my life."

"When did he tell you about Katherine?"

The smirk disappeared instantly. "He didn't tell me much, just tidbits here and there. Do you remember the time I crashed my car and went to Georgia with Damon?"

Jenna nodded her head once to show her niece that she wasn't going to like what Elena had to say. "I remember. You gave me a very vague reason as to why you let Damon kidnap you after getting into a horrible accident. I saw your car Elena. I was surprised you were able to walk away from it."

The look Jenna was giving her made Elena swallow with guilt. "Yeah..." she started and took a deep breath. "I crashed my car because of Katherine. Stefan and I had just..." her voice trailed off as her cheeks heated with embarrassment. "He went to get me a glass of water and I found her picture. He hadn't told me that we looked exactly alike. It freaked me out and I ran. I wasn't paying attention to the road and I crashed because I didn't see the vampire standing in the road. Damon was on his way back into town and he pulled me out of the car. He had to give me some of his blood to heal, but by the time I woke up, we were half way to Georgia." Elena rushed out the explanation to keep Jenna from interrupting her.

"So if you had died..."

"Yup."

"Elena-"

"Well I didn't, so don't worry about it," she said, cutting Jenna off. "Look, I know it's all a little hard to take in but-"

"A little?" Jenna interrupted, her voice a touch higher in pitch than it had been moments before. "In movies and books, vampires are always monsters who live for the kill or they're masters of seduction." As soon as the words left her lips, she narrowed her eyes at Elena. "I swear, if it's the second one I'm going to stake both of them."

Elena couldn't help but smirk and shook her head. "They're a mixture of both." Jenna's eyes widened and Elena blushed. "You know what I mean," she said quickly and slid off of the barstool. "Just promise me that if you have any questions you'll ask one of us. And please, don't try to kill them. That will only piss Damon off and I'm not so sure he won't try to retaliate."

"Duly noted," Jenna said and let the subject drop. "So what are your plans for today?"

Elena shrugged and pulled out her phone. "I was thinking of calling Bonnie and hanging out with her for a change." Speaking her of the witch... "Uh, there's one more thing I have to tell you."

Jenna sighed and leaned against the counter near the sink. "I'm listening."

"It's about Bonnie."

"Oh God, she's not a vampire too?"

Elena shook her head rapidly. "No, no. She's a witch."

Jenna simply stared at Elena. "Um..."

"Again, I know this is a lot to take in, but it's the truth."

"Anything else I should know? Is anyone a werewolf?" Jenna teased. The humor in her eyes died as Elena shifted her weight and averted her eyes. "You know what, I don't want to know," she said and pushed herself away from the counter.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked as Jenna made her way to the front door.

"I need a drink. Many of them, actually," she answered and slipped out of the house.

Elena sighed and dialed Alaric. "Hey, it's Elena. I just had a talk with Jenna and she's on her way out to get a drink."

"Alright, I'll seek her out in a little bit. She just needs some time to process it all."

"I know," Elena said. "But she's still in denial."

Alaric seemed to read Elena's mind. "I won't let anything happen to her, okay? She's not going to do something drastic because she can't handle the truth. She's stronger than that."

"I know. Thank you Mr. Saltzman," she said and hung up. Holding the phone in her hand, she scrolled through her contacts until she came to Bonnie's name. She pressed the call button and returned the device to her hear. "Hey."

"Hey?" Bonnie said slowly in a tone that was dripping with disbelief. "Elena?"

"Yeah," she answered, feeling a twinge of guilt for having neglected her friend for so long. "Are you busy today?"

"No, not really. What's up?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you wanted to do some shopping today?"

"Really?"

"Yup. Just you and me like old times."

"No boyfriends?" Bonnie asked dryly.

"Nope," Elena assured her. "Get ready, I'll be there in twenty."

"I'll be waiting," Bonnie said, excitement beginning to show in her voice. Elena hung up with a smile and went back up to her bedroom to change her clothes.

* * *

Bonnie sat back in the booth and sighed heavily as she looked at Elena from across the table. "Was it really necessary for you to tell Jenna about me?"

Elena nodded. "I had to. It was only fair."

Bonnie snorted and sat back up to get a drink. "She's never going to look at me the same."

"If she can handle the fact that Stefan died a hundred and forty-five years ago, she will be able to accept the fact that you can do magick."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat again. Instead of looking at her friend, she let her eyes roam around the unfamiliar interior of the restaurant. They had driven to Fell's Church, a town that fell directly between Mystic Falls and Richmond. It took about a half an hour to get there. The town always gave the pair an eerie feeling because Fell's Church had been built to resemble Mystic Falls. If they had been passersby, they would never have been able to tell the difference.

"Does Damon know you told them?" Bonnie asked, catching Elena off guard.

Elena swallowed her food and shrugged. "I like to think that Stefan told him. I hope Stefan told him."

Bonnie's brow rose at that. "What do you mean you hope? Did something happen between the two of you?"

Elena sighed, having forgotten to get the fact that she and Stefan were on a break out of the way. She gave her friend the short version of the story, not including the mock proposal. Elena wasn't ready to tell anyone about that. Bonnie just nodded, taking it all in. "I'm starting to think that it was a bad idea."

"Why? You've been practically attached at the hip since Katherine came back to town. I think it's about time you guys took some time off from each other. It's not like you guys don't see each other or talk, right?"

"I know."

Bonnie could tell that Elena wasn't convinced. "Why don't you guys set up a date night? Once a week, you go out and have the day all to yourself as a couple. The rest of the week can be however you want."

Elena's eyes lit up at the idea. "Why didn't I think about that before?"

"Because you're not a genius like me," Bonnie said smugly with a small smile.

"Now that sounds like something Caroline would say," Elena replied with a laugh. "Speaking of, I should have invited her for this outing too."

Bonnie shook her head. "She's visiting her dad. She'll be back in two weeks or so I think."

Elena felt the guilt again. "Oh."

"Hey, it wasn't something she planned, so don't feel bad about it. He surprised her with tickets to come see him. We'll have a girl's night out when she comes back, okay?"

"Thanks Bonnie," she said, smiling warmly at her friend across the table. With that, Elena paid the tab and the pair left the restaurant to begin their drive back to Mystic Falls.

* * *

Damon paused at the sound of the liquor cart being bumped into. He grumbled to himself and finished nailing the shelf to the wall of his closet before leaving his room. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs at the sight of Stefan pouring himself what was probably not his first drink. "Is that all you do now?"

Stefan turned around and smirked before downing the amber liquid. "It's what you do."

Damon saw what he was drinking and moved forward to grab the bottle. "Hey, this is mine. If you want some, go buy it yourself," he said, tucking it under his arm. Stefan snorted and set the empty tumbler down on the cart before taking a seat on the couch. "What I meant was, what happened with you and Elena?"

"We're taking a break," Stefan answered and looked at Damon. "I thought she told you that?"

"She did, but I figured that wouldn't last very long."

Stefan shrugged. "If you must know, we told Jenna about everything three days ago. I haven't really heard from Elena since."

Damon's eyes went wide at the admission. "You told Jenna?"

"Alaric and Elena thought of the idea. They wanted me there to prove it to her."

Damon tried to keep his emotions in check. He was feeling a little hurt at the fact that Elena hadn't wanted him there to help. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was probably a good idea. Jenna might have gone after him once she learned what he had done. "How did she take it?"

"I don't know. Elena hasn't been talking to me," Stefan said bitterly. He knew she had been reluctant to accept the ring and he wasn't going to push the issue by mentioning it to anyone else.

"What did you do?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Nothing that I'm aware of," he mumbled.

Damon knew talking to Stefan in this state was useless. "Well, have fun brooding. We both know it's what you do best," he teased and turned around to go back upstairs; the bottle of liquor still tucked under his arm.


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n: Alright, this one has the D/E interaction that you've been waiting for. Thanks again for sticking with me on this one :)**

**...and I know I said One Kiss would be up on Sunday, but it may not be finished by then...thank you writer's block...but it will be up before the next episode :)**

EIGHT

Elena walked down to the kitchen after her morning shower and stopped short at the sight of Tyler and Jeremy playing video games in the living room. They were surrounded by empty bags of chips, bowls of popcorn seeds, and several soda cans. It brought a smirk to her face, seeing both boys with blood shot eyes completely focused on the television screen. "Have you guys even gone to bed yet?"

"Why?" Tyler asked without looking up.

"We were just going to get up and start playing again so we skipped the sleeping part and kept playing," Jeremy explained.

Elena shook her head and left them alone. She knew they would pass out eventually. As she began to make breakfast, she thought about Matt. Seeing Tyler reminded her that she hadn't seen the blonde boy in a very long time. With him, the guilt was very bad. They had been friends for as long as she could remember, but the moment Stefan came into her life, she hadn't spent much time with him. It was time to fix that.

"Good God, those two are going to die from an adrenaline rush," Jenna said as she entered the kitchen.

"Tell me about it," Elena mumbled before taking a seat at the island counter. "Going to work?"

Jenna nodded. "Unfortunately. The only good thing about this is that my clients have a lot of money and my commission is going to be huge." Elena laughed as Jenna's eyes sparkled. "It will be enough to pay for slightly more than half of my student loans."

"Wow," Elena mused. "That's great. I hope they like what you have to show them."

"Oh they will. I have each of the Salvatores' numbers on speed dial. If I have to have either one of them compel them to do it, I will."

Elena frowned at that. "Jenna-"

"It was a joke," her aunt replied and gave a small smile. "Anyway, I don't know what time I'll be home."

"Okay."

"See you later." With that, Jenna grabbed her things and made her way to the front door.

Elena fished her phone from her pocket and scrolled through the contacts until she came to Matt's name. She knew it was kind of early, but he was usually up because of work. Elena felt relieved when he answered and sounded awake. "Elena?" He had the same tone Bonnie had had; disbelief.

"Hey Matt."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah?" Elena said slowly, wondering why that was the first thing that came to Matt's mind. "I just wanted to see if you had plans later."

"Not really. I'm off today. What's up?"

"Would you like to have dinner tonight? We can play some pool and catch up. I know I've been a little distant lately, but I want to make up for lost time."

Matt groaned and gave a short laugh. "You want me to go to the Grill on my day off? You're horrible."

Elena laughed with him. "We can go somewhere else or I can cook for you, but we know how that will turn out."

"Grill it is," Matt said quickly and Elena could picture the smirk on his face. "What time?"

"Um... six?"

"Six it is. I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too. See you then," she said and hung up. Elena cleaned up and went to check on the boys in the living room. Sure enough, they were both passed out; the video game still going. Elena shook her head and began cleaning their mess.

* * *

At quarter to six, Elena sent Matt a text telling him that she was leaving. It was her subtle way of making sure that he remembered. He replied telling her that he would be leaving shortly. Elena smirked, knowing he lived farther away from her which meant he would be a little late. Knowing this, Elena decided to walk to the Grill rather than drive the short distance. It gave her some time to think.

It was ten after when she arrived and the restaurant was unusually busy. The hostess at the door smiled at her in a way that meant she knew her. "Hey Elena. How are you?"

"I'm great. You?" she asked, reading the name tag.

Allie, the waitress, laughed. "You have no idea who I am. That's okay. Just you tonight?"

"I'm meeting Matt," she answered, giving the girl a sheepish grin at being caught.

She laughed even more and shook her head. "Poor boy can't catch a break, can he? Follow me," she said and led Elena to a table between the bar and the pool tables. Elena slid into the booth and smiled at Allie. "Can I get you something while you wait?"

"A Coke, please," she replied and watched the girl walk away.

The moment she moved, Elena's eyes connected with familiar piercing blue ones. Her body went still and she felt her heart do a double take. She could feel the sensation of his lips pressed against hers and it made her shudder. She cleared her throat and looked away. When she looked back up, she noticed a redhead fawning over Damon. This time, Elena was determined not to let her leave with him. However, she couldn't seem to get herself to move. Instead, she pretended that she saw nothing and waited for Matt.

* * *

Damon knew the instant Elena had walked into the Grill. Her scent and filled his nostrils immediately and his mouth watered as he heard her blood pumping through her veins. He became hard almost instantly when their eyes met and he heard the reaction her body had had. It surprised him and gave him hope.

For the last forty-five minutes he had pretended to enjoy the redhead's company, keeping one eye on Elena as she sat by herself in the booth. He wondered what she was doing by herself and as he saw her check her phone one last time, he gave in to the urge to go over to her. "I'm sorry Lisa-"

"Liz."

"Whatever," Damon grumbled as he took her glass from her and looked her straight in the eye. "I want you to go away. Nothing is going to happen between us."

Her eyes dilated at his words and she nodded slowly. "Thanks for the drinks," she said and made her way through the crowd.

Damon finished his drink and slid off of the bar stool, slowly making his way towards Elena. She jumped as he slid into the booth across from her and he smirked at the sound of her racing heart. "Did you get stood up?" he asked in a teasing way.

She nodded absently. "I think so."

Damon's humor faded and he gave her a small smile. "By?"

"Matt," she said and finally looked him in the eyes. He noticed the faint color change in her cheeks, but decided not to comment. "Should I be worried? I've tried calling, but he won't answer."

"Maybe the blonde is entertaining him."

Elena didn't find the comment amusing. "Damon, I'm serious. What if-"

"Don't even think that," he interrupted. "She's gone."

"But-"

"Elena," he said forcefully. "Whatever is keeping What's-His-Name must be important. Anyone that purposely blows you off is an idiot."

Whatever Elena had been prepared to say died in her throat at his words. She saw his shift in the seat and watched as he reached across the table for her soda. She peered around him and then narrowed her eyes at him. "Where's the girl?"

"What?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "The redhead."

He shrugged and slid the glass back to her. "I guess she left."

Elena nodded and reached for her purse. "I should probably go."

"Why?"

"Matt's not coming and I've already wasted enough time just sitting here." He let her put the money on the table for her drinks and stood as she got to her feet. Instead of letting her walk in the direction of the door, he grabbed her bicep and led her to the nearest pool table. "Damon-"

"I have nothing else to do tonight and neither do you. Just a few rounds of pool; that's all I ask."

Elena stared at him for a moment before taking a step back. He grabbed one of the pool cue's and handed it to her. She took it slowly and watched as he racked up the balls. "Why?"

He shrugged and walked around the table until he found the right spot to break. When he stood back up, he moved to stand by her side. "Because you were right, I was being careless."

Her eyes widened at his admission.

"I'm not saying I'm sorry for what I did, but I am sorry that I made you worry about me." He moved away and tried to act nonchalant. "I'm not used to having people care about my actions."

Elena reached up and laid her hand on his forearm before she could stop herself. It broke her heart to hear those words. "I'm your friend Damon. I know something's bugging you more than usual. You said it wasn't because Katherine left, but I don't know if I can believe that or not. You've always been there for me when I needed someone. Let me be there for you. Talk to me; tell me what's wrong."

"Elena-"

She shook her head and placed the cue stick down on the table. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at him. "Either tell me or I'm leaving."

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. He needed to tell her something so that she would stop asking and he knew the answer she was looking for. "Fine, but can we talk outside?"

She nodded and followed him out to his car. She leaned against the driver's side door while he paced in front of her. "Why did you get back together with Katherine? You knew she would leave again."

"I did it to distract her," he said and stopped to look at Elena. "When I kissed her on the porch, I thought it was you and when I realized it wasn't, I knew I had messed up. She came to me to tell me that she hadn't exactly come back for Stefan or me, just to get back at John for trying to kill us. She said she didn't have anywhere else to be at the moment and that she was bored. I know how she gets when she's bored and I could only imagine what she would have done. She mentioned something about how it wasn't right for either of us to have developed feelings for you. She wanted to make you suffered for taking what was hers, but I convinced her to back off. One thing led to another and..." he let his voice trail off and he cleared his throat. "Well, you know the rest."

"And she just left?" Elena said with disbelief. "But you-"

"I thought I would be okay with it, but I wasn't. I spent a hundred and forty-five years trying to find a way to get her out of that tomb. I devoted my entire life to saving her and she didn't even need to be saved. I hate her, Elena, I really do, but when she made her advances, I couldn't deny her."

Elena's eyes softened as she looked at him. "You wanted closure."

Damon blinked in surprise. Why hadn't he thought of that earlier? "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Damon watched as Elena closed her eyes and leaned more against the car. He wanted to press himself against her and pin her there while he kissed her senseless. He had to tear his gaze from her lips to make the ache in his groin go away. He knew telling her the truth would ruin her. She had to remember it on her own or she would never forgive him.

"Do you think she'll come back?"

Her voice startled him. "She might. You never know with her."

She nodded and let silence envelop them for a short time. "I should go home."

"I told you what was bugging me, now you have to tell me about your problem."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't-"

"Then tell me what you did that's been driving Saint Stefan to drink the good liquor?"

Her eyes widened at that. "What?"

"He said you've been ignoring him for the past three days. He mentioned something about a break?" He wasn't even going to bring up the fact that they told Jenna without including him.

"I needed some time to myself, but we're still together."

"Doesn't sound like it."

Elena scowled and pushed herself away from the car. "Not that it's any of your business, but I wanted time to make sure Jenna was okay. I didn't want to push her by having Stefan over."

"Yeah, thanks for the memo by the way."

"Stefan didn't think you'd want to be there," she replied quietly.

"It would have been nice to know ahead of time in case I ran into her." He shook his head and let the issue drop. "Whatever happened between you and your boyfriend, I need you to fix it. He's drinking all my liquor."

He heard her heart skip a beat as she inhaled sharply. Damon's brow rose in her direction, waiting for an explanation. "It's..." she groaned in frustration, unable to come up with an explanation.

"What happened?" he asked in a concerned voice as he took a few steps closer.

Once again, Elena could feel his lips against hers, his tongue sweeping the inside of her mouth as she sampled him in return. She shuddered and stumbled into the car. "I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Elena-"

"No!" she hissed and he stopped advancing.

He studied her for a moment and decided to twist what she had said to him earlier. "Tell me or neither of us are going anywhere."

Elena stared at the ground in defeat, knowing he meant it. "It's all your fault."

"What?" he asked, not sure if he had heard her right. "What did I do?" He knew full well what he did, but was under the impression that she was still in the dark about it. More hope began to rise as he waited anxiously for her explanation.

Elena took a series of slow, deep breaths to calm her nerves. Unfortunately, it only made matters worse and she felt seconds away from a panic attack. "I walked him to the door after Jenna left and kissed him goodnight. Only..." she swallowed thickly and felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "Only, when I closed my eyes, I could feel your lips on mine; not Stefan's. I saw your face."

If Damon didn't know any better, he would sworn his heart started beating again. She lifted her head and he saw the tears gathering in her eyes. "Elena-"

"I keep seeing these images of us," she whispered. "I don't know why or how to make it stop, but it feels so real." She shook her head and cleared her throat. "It was the same sensation I got when Stefan told me you were fixing your closet and I could feel your shirts beneath my finger tips. I felt the rack pull away from the wall."

Damon watched as several emotions took hold of her face. She was struggling to understand and there was nothing he could do to help her. It only made him feel useless.

"Was I ever in your room before?" she asked and then shook her head. "Of course not, I would have remembered it."

Damon's jaw clenched at that, once again, vowing to end Katherine's life when he saw her next. "Elena-"

"Don't," she pleaded softly and began to move away from the car. "I really... I need..."

Damon refused to let her walk away. He used his speed to pin her to the car as he had been fantasizing about since they walked outside. His hands cupped her face as hers rested on his wrists, barely trying to push him away. "What do you need, Elena?" he asked softly, stroking her tear stained cheeks with the pad of his thumbs.

She looked up at him, but said nothing. She knew she should push him away and leave, but a part of her wanted him to kiss her. She wanted to know if it had been fantasies or memories that were haunting her. Although, she wasn't quite sure what she would do with the knowledge.

Damon took her silence as an invitation and leaned in. When their lips met, her eyes closed and she could feel the sparks that shot through her body from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. It was wrong, she knew it, but there had been something between them that she needed to explore. As much as she didn't want to be Katherine, there was no denying her feelings for both Salvatores anymore.

Just as Elena parted her lips to grant him access to her mouth, her phone went off. Damon pulled away and Elena reached for her phone with shaky hands. It was Matt. "H-hello?"

"Hey, I'm so sorry I didn't make it. My mom came back."

"That's okay," she said, trying to keep her voice level. "Matt, I have to go. Thanks for calling," she added and hung up without waiting for his response. She looked at Damon and found him looking at her. "Damon-"

"You should go."

"But-"

"If you stay here, I can't guarantee that I'll be the gentleman that you think I am."

Elena noticed the restraint on his face and she nodded. Without saying another word, she turned and began walking towards her house. She cursed herself the entire walk, wishing she had driven. There was too much time to think on the way back. And all she could think about was Damon.


	9. Chapter 9

**a/n: alright, sorry guys, no Damon in this one...but Stefan's not in it much either :)**

**and I'm posting this today because One Kiss is nowhere near being ready (again, sorry guys!) so hopefully this will make up for it a little bit.**

NINE

Early the next morning, Elena jumped at the sound of her ringtone. She scrambled to grab it before it woke everyone up. "Hello?" she managed to get out. Her voice sounded strange, even to herself.

"Elena?" came Matt's voice.

She cleared her throat and stared up at the ceiling. "Yeah, it's me. Why are you calling me so early?"

"Because I finally got my mom to sleep and I felt horrible about ditching you. I know I took my chances with waking you up, but you hung up on me earlier. Was everything okay? Did something happen?"

Elena swallowed around the lump in her throat as her free hand came up to finger her necklace. She had fallen asleep less than an hour ago having finally been able to get Damon off of her brain. Now he plagued her mind again with images of their kiss and the feel of his lips against hers. "Yeah, I'm fine Matt. I just ran into Damon and he wanted to talk," she said and closed her eyes. "Are you okay? I thought Kelly wasn't going to come back for awhile."

He snorted. "I thought so too, but no such luck."

"I'm sorry."

Matt was silent for a moment and Elena heard some shuffling on his end. "Want to grab some breakfast?" he asked.

Elena moved the phone away from her hear long enough to see the time. "It's not even six yet."

"It doesn't have to be breakfast," Matt stated. "I just want out."

Elena nodded even though he couldn't see her. She understood his need to get out of the house while Kelly rested. "Give me a half hour and I'll be there to pick you up."

"I'll be waiting. Thanks Elena," he said and hung up.

"Welcome," she mumbled to herself and sighed as she continued to stare up at the ceiling.

She was exhausted. Collectively, she had gotten maybe two hours of sleep. Even then, it had been filled with tossing and turning; all because of Damon. Not only was she reliving the kiss they had shared, she was reliving the incident in his closet. Elena's body twitched involuntarily as she felt the rack give way beneath her weight. She was more convinced than ever that whatever had happened had not been a dream. She had been in Damon's room at some point in time and for whatever reason, she had been hiding in the closet. Now all she had to do was figure out why.

Not wanting to dwell on it at the moment, Elena kicked off the covers and moved to the bathroom to get ready. She brushed her teeth, threw her hair up into a ponytail, and then moved back to the bedroom to throw on the clothes she had been wearing the previous day. With that, she grabbed her purse and went downstairs as quietly as she could. Elena drove carefully, surprising herself at how well she was doing despite the exhaustion. Luckily for her, Matt was waiting on the porch outside his house and he nearly ran to her car the moment he spotted it.

Once he slid into the front seat, Elena noticed the way he relaxed. "Where would you like to go?"

"I don't care, just away from here," he mumbled as he closed his eyes.

Elena inclined her head and thought of where to go. At this hour, there wasn't that many options. She thought about the park and looked over her shoulder at Matt. He was resting his head against the window, his eyes closed. She smiled softly at the exhaustion that was written on his face. With that thought in mind, she headed back towards her house. That way, if he fell asleep, she didn't have to worry about it. "Do you have to work today?" she asked.

"Not until later," he replied.

She nodded and decided to ask him about Kelly now instead of later. "Why did your mom come back?"

Matt sighed heavily and raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "She said that she's finally starting to come to terms with Vicki's death. That she realizes she isn't the best mother in the world, but she wants to try being there."

"Well that's good," Elena mumbled.

He shrugged. "I've heard it before."

"I know, but maybe this time's different."

Matt shook his head at that. "My mom will never be as good as yours."

Before she could stop herself, Elena snorted. "Yeah right."

Matt's eyes went wide in surprise and Elena almost swore at the slip up. She had no idea how to explain Isobel or anything else without letting him in on everything else. "Elena?"

"Uh, I found out awhile ago, but I'm adopted."

"What?"

Elena nodded. She hadn't meant to make the conversation about her. "Yeah."

"Did you ever track down your real parents?"

All she could do was grip the steering wheel and stare out the windshield. "Yes, I've met them."

"And?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it," she said in a tone that reinforced her words. "I know your mom's tried to be maternal more than once, but maybe Vicki's death will enable her to actually succeed."

Matt studied her for a moment and decided it was best if he let the topic of her adoption go. Slowly, he shrugged his shoulders and rested his head against the seat. "Maybe," he mumbled and then added. "But I remember everything that happened last time she was here and... I don't know Elena. I'm tired of giving her chances."

Elena barely heard the last of what he said as she relived what had happened the last time Kelly had been in town. More specifically the day she had shown up in the boarding house with Damon pinning her to the wall. Elena's fingers tightened even more on the steering wheel as jealousy consumed her, but only for a moment.

"What do you think?" Matt asked, bringing her out of her thoughts, allowing her to shake that feeling.

"I don't know, Matt," she answered honestly and cleared her throat.

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. They were silent for the rest of the ride back to Elena's house. They didn't speak again until they were in her room. Matt flopped down on her on bed, staring up at the ceiling. Elena sat on the window seat and looked at Matt. "Maybe I should give her one last chance."

Elena's brow rose as she looked at him. "If that's what you want to do."

He closed his eyes and smirked. "Gee, thanks," he replied sarcastically.

She smiled softly. "It's your mother, Matt. If you want to give her another chance, that's completely up to you. I just don't want you to get hurt again," she said. "Like I said, she's probably had time to think about her way of life since Vicki's death and now she wants to be more involved in your life."

"If your mother wanted a second chance... Would you give it to her?" he asked.

Elena opened her mouth to immediately say no, but nothing came out. Instead, she turned her attention to the window and pressed her lips into a hard line. She hated that Isobel had threatened the life of her brother and friends in order to get the device, but other than that, she didn't know her at all. Elena shook the thought away and turned back to Matt. She knew she had kind of zoned out, but when before she spoke, she noticed Matt's back was to her. The sound of his light snoring filled the room putting a smile on her face. With that, she got up to tuck him in.

After watching him sleep for a few minutes, Elena moved into the bathroom. She stood in front of the sink, her hands gripping the edge of the counter tightly. She stared at her reflection as Isobel's words resounded in her head. It felt as though someone were holding a megaphone to each ear while yelling, "That's because he's in love with you." Elena closed her eyes and hung her head. It was the only way to explain the feelings she had experienced while kissing Damon. There had been too much passion and love behind it to ignore.

With a sigh of frustration, Elena tore herself away from the sink and ran a hand through her hair. After a couple of deep breaths, she entered her bedroom. Her eyes went wide as her hand flew to her chest. Her heart began to beat wildly at the sight of Stefan climbing through her window. "What are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

"I wanted to see you," he replied, his gaze moving from her to Matt. A grin spread across his face. "I'm really glad you came out of the bathroom just now."

Elena placed a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing and then nodded towards the door. They walked downstairs and sat on the couch in the living room. "Matt called me not too long ago. His mom's back in town and he wanted to get away for a little bit. I didn't think he would fall asleep."

Stefan studied her from the opposite end of the couch. He couldn't help but glance down at her hand, noticing that her fingers were bare. He chalked it up to the fact that she had just gotten up, hoping she didn't sleep with rings on. "When was the last time you slept?"

"I didn't sleep that much last night."

"Why?" he asked.

"I kept having nightmares," she said, moving her gaze away from him to stare at the TV although it wasn't on.

"What about?"

She shrugged. "I don't really remember them. Just that they kept me from getting a good night's rest."

He nodded, letting the subject drop. He decided that now was as good a time as any to bring up the reason he had come over so early. "Are we okay?"

She looked at him again, confusion written all over her face. "What do you mean?"

"I get that we're on a break and you need some space, but I don't remember the last time I said a word to you. You won't even text me back anymore." Stefan refained from saying anything about the ring.

She blinked a few times and he saw the tension in her shoulders dissipate. "To be fair, I haven't been texting anyone. And for the record, I saw you a couple days ago. I figured having you around after telling Jenna probably wasn't a good idea. The first day, I mentioned talking to you, and she started hyperventilating. She's getting better with the idea of being surrounded by the supernatural, but she still needs some time to adjust."

Stefan exhaled with relief. "So there's nothing else going on? We're not really over?"

"No," she answered quickly. "That's all in your head."

He watched as she started smiling. "What?"

"You know, you're pretty insecure for a vampire. It's adorable."

He gave her a half smile before pulling her into his lap. "How much longer do we have to keep this break going?"

Elena shrugged and settled her head against his shoulder. "Well, I still think we got a little too attached with Katherine in town. Bonnie suggested a date night. We could do one night a week where it's just us; no distractions, and the rest of the week will be for whatever."

Stefan nodded as he mulled it over. "I think that would be reasonable."

The feel of his arms locked around her made her feel better. She hadn't realized how much she missed him until this moment. Her eyelids began to feel heavy as they drifted closed. "Good," she muttered.

Stefan looked down at her, having noticed that her breathing had gotten deeper and more even along with the sleepy note in her voice. He smiled and said nothing as he just sat there and held her. After a few minutes, he stood up with her in his arms and laid her down on the couch. After he detached himself, he grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over her. He placed a kiss on her forehead and then felt her hand clutching his arm.

"Stay," she murmured, half asleep.

He grinned and did as she asked, trying his best to get comfortable by sitting with her head in his lap. Knowing she had already fallen into a deep sleep, he turned on the TV and watched it quietly while he waited for her to get up.


	10. Chapter 10

**a/n: okay, this chapter has some Stefan and some Damon...again, the end will make up for the Stefan parts. I really do appreciate you guys putting up with Stelena :) Thanks so much for all the reviews/alerts/favorites.**

TEN

After Elena and Matt had woken up for the second time that day, they decided to hang out around the Gilbert house. Stefan joined them at Matt's insistence and it had turned out to be a great day. Especially after Matt received a phone call saying he didn't need to go in to work. Elena felt at ease, having gotten some sleep. She had finally been able to push Damon and the events from the previous night to the back of her mind and concentrate on the present.

Elena and Matt had caught up like they planned to do while Matt and Stefan got to know each other better. They had bonded over video games, violent action movies, and cars. Elena had made them lunch and they had volunteered to clean up for her. Their newly found friendship put Elena in a great mood. Something she hadn't felt in a very long time. She missed feeling like this since Katherine came to town. Instead of feeling anxious and the need to watch her back all the time, Elena was able to enjoy life again.

As dinner rolled around, Elena realized that neither Jeremy or Jenna had been downstairs all day. "Neither of them were here when I arrived," Stefan informed her when she voiced her observation.

"Should I call them? Don't you think they would be home right now? It's almost six o'clock."

Matt's eyes went wide at that and he paused the video game. "Is it really?"

Stefan and Elena nodded at him. "Do you have to go home?"

He thought about and then shrugged, resuming the game. "I shut off my phone when you picked me up, so I don't know if she's tried calling," he mumbled, eyes glued to the screen.

Instead of commenting, Elena cleared her throat and got up. "You know what, I think I'll make dinner."

She crossed her arms across her chest as both boys exchanged a wary glance. "You know what, I'll cook," Stefan offered and got to his feet.

Elena cocked her head to the side and smirked at him. "Gee, thanks. I feel the love."

Stefan smirked and kissed her forehead before heading to the kitchen. Elena flopped back down on the couch and looked at Matt. "Yes?" he asked, having felt her eyes on him.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do about your mom?"

He shrugged, never moving his eyes from the screen. "No," he finally answered.

"You should at least call her, she's probably worried about you."

He sighed and turned to look at her. "Do you think people deserve second chances?"

Elena hesitated, biting her lower lip as she thought about it. The question had undone her entire day of not thinking about Damon. Now he was the front of her mind again. She did a mental checklist of everything he had done, and she found herself nodding. "Yes," she answered, shaky at first. She cleared her throat and answered again, firmly this time. "Yes, I do believe people deserve second chances. Some people have goodness inside of them, but they only know how to do bad."

He studied her for a minute and then nodded. "Alright. She gets one more chance. After that, I'm done with her," he said, getting to his feet. "I left my phone in your room, I'll be down after I talk to her."

Elena settled into the couch and sighed. Her mind was plagued with images of Damon. Her fingers absently brushed across her lips as she felt the ghost of his kisses. It wasn't until she heard Stefan calling her name that she was able to pull herself back to reality. "You okay?" he asked, sitting next to her.

"Yeah, you?"

He nodded and smiled sweetly at her while taking her hands in his. "That was really sweet of you."

"What was?" she asked.

"What you said to Matt about second chances. You were referring to Damon weren't you?"

Elena swallowed thickly. "Yes."

He brought one hand up to her face, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. "That right there is one of the many reasons why I love you. You see the good in everyone," he said softly and then leaned in to kiss her. Elena's eyes closed the moment their lips touched, a wave of relief rolled over her when she was able to focus on the kiss and think of no one but her boyfriend.

"Something smells great in- Hi Stefan," Jenna exclaimed as she entered the house.

Elena couldn't help but smile at the way he jumped up from the couch with a look of guilt and nervousness on his face. "Hi Ms. Sommers."

Jenna made a face at that. "You don't get to call me that anymore," she said, waggling her finger at him. "In fact, since you're the oldest one in the room, I think I'll be calling you Mr. Salvatore."

Elena inclined her head in thanks to Jenna. She seemed to have calmed down a bit since their last conversation. She was glad that her aunt decided to accept him. Stefan grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "Would you like to join us for dinner?"

"I would, thank you," she answered and chuckled as he retreated to the kitchen. "Is your brother home?"

Elena shook her head. "No, apparently no one was home but me all day."

"Yeah..." Jenna said quietly, her cheeks turning a light shade of red.

Elena shook her head and cleared her throat. "Anyway, I'm going to assume he's at Tyler's. Oh, by the way, Matt's upstairs."

"Yeah, I figured. I ran into Kelly at the Grill when I was at lunch with Alaric. She was worried about him."

"He's on the phone with her now. He's going to give her another chance."

"Good for him," she mused and then patted Elena shoulder. "Alright, I'm gonna go freshen up," she added and then disappeared upstairs.

As Elena stood from the couch, Matt came back into the room. "How'd it go?"

"She was mad that I took off, but she understands. We're going to have lunch tomorrow."

"You'll have to let me know how that goes."

"Will you come with me?"

Elena placed her hand on his arm and shook her head. "As much as I would love to be there for you, you need to do this on your own. I know you and if I'm there, I'll be the center of the conversation. Maybe another time."

He nodded and then pulled her into an awkward hug. "You really are the best."

"I know," she answered and laughed against his chest. "C'mon," she said as she pulled away. "Let's go see what Stefan is up to."

Once dinner was over, Jenna volunteered to clean up with Stefan. It gave them the opportunity to talk. When everything was clean and put away, Stefan offered Matt a ride home. "You're not going to stay?" Elena asked as Matt went upstairs to get his shoes.

"I would, but I haven't fed all day," he replied in a low voice.

Elena nodded and then wrapped her arms around his neck. "Alright. I'll call you tomorrow and we can work out the details of our date night."

"Can't wait," he said and leaned in to kiss her.

They were interrupted by Matt making gagging noises behind them. "Just kidding guys. Thanks for letting me crash and hang out here, Elena. I'll be outside when you're ready, man."

Stefan nodded and waited for Matt to leave the house before he spoke again. "If you want, I can come back later."

She shook her head. "I don't want to push it with Jenna here," she answered. Even as she said it, she knew it was a weak reply. The truth was, ever since she had allowed herself to think of Damon, she hadn't been able to stop. Whatever was going on with the two of them needed to be dealt with. She hated lying to Stefan about having kissed his brother. Even thinking about that made her feel horrible. "I'll see you later," she said and pulled away from him.

Once they were gone, she found Jenna in the kitchen with a glass of wine. "So you were right."

"About?"

"He's not that different now that I know."

Elena nodded. "I'm glad you're finally accepting this."

Jenna studied her niece, knowing she had something to ask, but didn't have the courage to ask it. After finishing her glass, she took a deep breath, and forced it out. "Have you ever considered turning for him?"

"What?"

"Stefan's going to be seventeen forever. You're not. You guys may be in love, but-"

Elena held out her hands and shook her head. "I haven't thought about it and I certainly _don't _want to talk about it right now."

Jenna nodded in understanding. "Promise me something?"

Elena simply nodded, waiting to hear what her aunt had to say.

"When you do start thinking about this with him, I want to know. I want to be a part of this decision, okay? It will be your choice, but I don't want to find out by having to invite you into your own house."

Elena inclined her head. "I promise to let you know when it comes up."

"Thank you."

"Welcome. I'm going to go upstairs. Night, Jenna."

"Night," she called after her niece.

Once Elena was upstairs, she changed into her pajamas, plugged her iPod into the portable speakers and laid down on the bed. She folded her arms over her stomach and stared at the ceiling. Her thoughts kept jumping from Damon to her conversation with Jenna. Eventually, both topics wore her out and she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Damon found himself sitting outside of Elena's window yet again. No matter how much pain he knew he would be in after leaving, he couldn't seem to kick the habit. It was his addiction; he was hooked after just one hit. She was tossing and turning in her sleep indicating that something was bothering her. He hoped that it wasn't his actions at the Grill the night before. He toyed with the idea of going inside and removing her necklace in order to get into her dreams and calm her down, but decided against it. It would lead to other things and he knew that was crossing the line.

He waited until she calmed down before deciding it was time to leave. As his feet touched the ground, his head snapped back up in the direction of her room. The sound of her moan filled his ears. In seconds he was in her room, staring down at her with awe. She was lying face-up and her back was arched off of the mattress. Her face was flushed and her fingers clutched at the comforter. "Damon..." she moaned again.

His jaw dropped at the sound of his name on her lips and it was topped off by the distinct scent of her arousal. "Come on, remember," he urged, keeping his voice light as to not wake her. Just as suddenly as the moaning had started, it stopped. Elena fell slack onto her bed and curled up on her side. The only thing that told him he hadn't imagined this little display was the fact that he could tell she was still very aroused. He felt her heart rate rise from a person deep in slumber to one that was about to wake up. Not wanting to be there when she woke, he vanished from the room.

* * *

Elena's eyes opened and it took a minute for her body to adjust to being awake. She kicked the covers off of her heated body and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She sat that way for a minute or two, waiting for her senses to return to normal so that she didn't trip over herself. Carefully, she made her way to the bathroom and turned on the faucet. She splashed cold water over her face and then gazed at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed and she could feel the moisture between her legs.

She shook her head with mild disgust and closed her eyes only to be rewarded with snippets from the dream she had just woken from. It was just flashes of images but they were very detailed. She could see Katherine and Damon undressing each other. Then it was herself kissing Damon. The last one caused a moan to escape from her lips and Elena clenched her thighs together as she gripped the edges of the counter to hold herself steady. Damon was lying on top of her, his eyes boring into hers as she felt him thrusting in and out of her.

When Elena opened her eyes, her body shook with a mix of pleasure, anger, and disgust. She was with Stefan; there was no reason she should be having dreams about Damon, especially dreams of this nature. She reached up and wrapped her fingers around the necklace, confirming that she had dreamed that scenario up all on her own. The only thing that left a nagging feeling in the back of Elena's mind was that the dream had felt real. Almost as if she were reliving a memory.

Elena shook that thought away and returned to her bedroom. She was no longer tired and admittedly a little afraid to fall back asleep. Instead, she turned on the lamps that occupied both night stands and grabbed the book she had started reading months ago. It wasn't interesting, but she was determined to focus on that and that alone. Unfortunately, after two pages into the novel, Elena couldn't focus on anything but the need her body felt for release. The need her body was begging for. She had been so close in the dream and then she had woken up. She knew she could take care of it by herself, but for whatever reason, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She knew she would be picturing Damon and that was exactly what she didn't want.

With a heavy sigh, Elena set the book by the base of the lamp and turned off the lights. She got comfortable beneath the covers and closed her eyes, forcing herself to ignore the aching need of her body. Elena didn't have to wait long before she slipped back into sleep, a small part of her wishing for the same dream.


	11. Chapter 11

**a/n: on the flipside, there's no Stefan :) ...but there's no Damon either. This one's all about girl bonding time :)**

ELEVEN

The next day, Elena invited Bonnie over. "Thanks for coming," Elena said as she let the other girl in.

"Welcome. What's up?" she asked, leading the way to the living room.

"I have a question to ask and I think it might lead to a favor," Elena answered, pacing nervously in front of the coffee table.

Bonnie's brow rose as she watched Elena from the couch. "A friendly favor or a witchy one?"

Both of them smiled at each other before Elena sighed and flopped down into the oversized chair next to the couch. "I don't exactly know yet."

Bonnie studied her friend as the brunette rubbed her temples, her eyes squeezed shut. "Elena, you're starting to worry me. It doesn't help that you were pretty vague on the phone too. What's wrong?"

Elena bit her bottom lip while she thought about what exactly she wanted to tell Bonnie. "Okay, there's something that's been going on and I need to tell someone about it. You just have to promise not to judge me."

Bonnie's brow quirked up at that. "Uh, okay."

"I mean it. I don't want you to even think about judging me."

"Elena-"

"And you can't repeat what I have to say to _anyone_," Elena interrupted. "Especially Caroline."

Both girls locked eyes with each other as Bonnie let the words sink in. Slowly, she nodded and moved towards the end of the couch to be closer to Elena. "You can trust me, Elena. I won't tell anyone nor will I judge you. I promise."

Elena studied her gaze until she was satisfied that Bonnie was telling the truth. With that, she scooted to the edge of the chair, placing her elbows on the top of her thighs so that she could place her head in her hands. "Alright."

After a few minutes of silence, Bonnie reached and out and touched Elena's knee. "Elena?"

"It's about Damon," she blurted out, unable to come up with the right way to start the conversation.

"What about Damon?" Bonnie asked slowly, trying her best to do as Elena had asked and reserve judgement. Just the mention of his name made her feel a little weary of where this conversation was headed. If she hadn't been worried about Elena before, she certainly was now.

"I don't know where to start."

"From the beginning. Tell me everything," Bonnie said, giving her a tight smile, letting her friend know that she was there for her no matter how much she didn't want to discuss this.

Elena had given Bonnie the short version of the story the last time they had seen each other, but she knew it was time to tell her the long version. "Katherine finally left a few weeks ago. Apparently she just decided she had wasted enough time here and left. Since that day, I've felt really strange towards Damon," she concluded.

"Strange how?"

"I can't stop thinking about him. He's on my mind twenty-four-seven," Elena started. Suddenly, the chair felt constricting, forcing her out of it. She began pacing in front of the coffee table again, her arms alternating between being folded across her chest and lifting them up so she could run her fingers though her hair. "I don't feel any sort of connection to him that I didn't feel before, but every time I close my eyes, I see him. Sometimes he's kissing me, sometimes it's just his eyes, and other times it's..."

Bonnie's jaw dropped at the last part while Elena's cheeks turned bright red. "It's...?" Bonnie repeated, waiting for her to continue.

Elena stopped moving and turned to face Bonnie, her eyes glued to the coffee table. "Sometimes it's more than that. Sometimes we're having..." Elena swallowed thickly. She never imagined this word would be so hard to say before. "Sometimes we're having sex," she finished, her eyes closing, not wanting to see Bonnie's reaction.

Bonnie didn't know what to say. She had known that whatever Elena had to say concerning Damon wasn't going to be good, but this was definitely not what she expected. "I...Uh..."

Elena looked up, her cheeks still flushed, and smiled lightly before averting her eyes again. "Yeah, exactly. But it doesn't feel like just sex, it feels...right."

"What?"

Elena gave an unladylike snort. "Exactly," she repeated. "Last night I had a dream about us in bed together and I woke up very..."

"Horny?" Bonnie supplied, unable to hold back her smile.

Elena gave a nervous laugh before collapsing into the chair so she could bury her head in her hands. "I can't believe I'm telling you this," she mumbled.

"Me neither," Bonnie commented to herself before looking at her friend again.

Elena moved her hands down enough so that she could see her friend. "Ha ha," she said dryly and then moved her hands back up. "Like I said, it didn't feel like just sex, it felt like more than that." She removed her hands and looked Bonnie in the eye. "I feel a connection unlike anything I've ever experienced before."

Bonnie was shocked by the seriousness in her friend's voice. "More than the one you have with Stefan?"

"Yes," Elena answered in the same serious tone.

Bonnie blinked and sat back. After a few minutes, she leaned forward again and rested her chin on her hands. "Well...what do you think this means?"

"That's not it," Elena admitted.

"There's more?" Bonnie asked, her voice rising in pitch.

Elena nodded slowly. "Uh huh."

"Well, start talking," Bonnie demanded and adjusted to get more comfortable on the couch.

"The visions and dreams don't really feel like that. They feel like flashbacks and memories. Which doesn't make any sense. I know he didn't do anything and then compel me to forget. He's better than that," Elena said, letting her mind wander over his words before she parted ways. _If you stay here, I can't guarantee that I'll be the gentleman that you think I am. _It made her shiver.

"Still, if it's just your subconscious, it shouldn't feel like memories," Bonnie stated and Elena nodded her agreement.

"The other day, Stefan said something about Damon fixing his closet and I could see myself in Damon's room with his shirts at my fingertips. A second later they were falling away from the wall and I was landing on top of them. That's not normal," Elena explained. "Then there was the day that we told Jenna about everything. I kissed Stefan goodbye and when I closed my eyes, I saw Damon. It was his lips that I felt against mine, not Stefan's. Again, not normal."

"Can I ask you something?" Bonnie continued when Elena nodded. "Has anything happened between the two of you that _was_ real?"

Elena hesitated which told Bonnie everything she needed to know. "Yeah."

"Such as...?"

"The day before yesterday I was supposed to meet Matt at the Grill, but he stood me up. I was about to go home when Damon came over and convinced me to stick around. We started to play pool when we got to talking. We went outside to clear things up about him and Katherine and he turned it into a discussion about the two of us. I'm not sure how it happened, but he kissed me."

Once again, Bonnie's brow rose in surprise. "And?"

"And if Matt hadn't called me, I don't know if we would have stopped when we did," Elena admitted, staring down at her restless fingers.

Bonnie struggled with forming words. "A-anything else?"

Elena went through all of her recent encounters with Damon and slowly shook her head until she was sure before giving a firm shake. "No, just that."

Bonnie nodded, trying to put everything Elena had said together, trying to make sense out of it all. "So where do I fit into all of this?"

"Is there any spell that could tell me if these visions are actually memories or if it really just all in my head? Either way, I have some serious thinking to do."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at that. "What does that mean?"

When Elena realized what she had said her eyes went wide. "I-I don't know."

"Elena-"

She stood from the chair and waved her hands in the air. "Just forget I said that for now. Do you think you can help me?"

Bonnie found herself nodding. "I'll take a look in the grimoire and do some research. I can't promise anything though."

"That's okay, I just want to know what's going on."

Bonnie stood up and pulled Elena into a hug. When she stepped back, she placed her hands on the outside of Elena's arms. "Look, I know you think Damon wouldn't compel you, and for some strange reason, I believe you, but I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility. Maybe you should ingest some vervain on top of wearing it. I'll check in to that too, just in case."

Elena nodded, swallowing over the lump in her throat. "I just want to know what's going on. Once I figure it out, I'll decide what to do after that."

"Okay," Bonnie said and let go of her friend. "I'm going to go home and start researching."

Elena hugged the other girl again, squeezing her tightly. "Thank you for listening to me Bonnie. It felt good to talk to someone about this."

"You do know that you have to tell Stefan about this at some point, right?"

"Once I find out what's going on," she assured the witch.

Just as they began to head for the door, Jenna walked into the house. "Perfect!"

Bonnie and Elena exchanged a glance and then looked at Jenna. "Hi, Jenna." they said in unison.

She smiled as she shut the door. "I was actually going to see if you wanted to do a girl's night in."

"Really?"

She nodded with excitement. "I figured since now I'm in the loop, we should hang out and celebrate. I'll let you guys drink with me."

Bonnie grinned, "Well in that case..." she teased.

"I'll even order in because I know how much you _love _my cooking," Jenna added, narrowing her eyes at Elena. "You could invite Caroline too. Or does she not know?"

"Uh, no, she doesn't know and she's at her dad's right now."

"Alright, so just the three of us," Jenna said and then pouted. "We need more girls in the loop."

Bonnie and Elena quickly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we do, don't we?" Elena mumbled.

"We'll work on that," Bonnie said as the three of them moved to the kitchen.

"So I take it Jeremy's not going to be home?" Elena asked.

"He said he was going out with Tyler, Matt, and a few other guys. Actually, I think he mentioned something about Matt inviting Stefan."

"Really?" Elena asked in shock.

Jenna nodded before looking at Bonnie. "So it's still a bit early for dinner and you were just about to leave. Did you want to come back later?"

"If you don't mind. I have to run a few errands. I'll bring a cake back with me."

Jenna's eyes lit up. "That would be great."

As Bonnie nodded, she noticed Jenna shifting awkwardly. "Jenna?"

"I don't know if this is over stepping some boundaries, but ever since Elena told me that you're a witch, I've been really curious. Do you think you could show me some of what you can do? Nothing big."

Bonnie grinned and nodded. "I think I can do that."

"Thank you!" she exclaimed and patted her shoulder.

"You're welcome. I'll be back later," she said and then waved to the other girls before heading out.

"Any suggestions for tonight?" Jenna asked once she and her niece were alone.

Elena shrugged, leaning forward against the counter. "Not really. You?"

"I guess games, romantic comedies, and gossip."

Elena smiled. "Sounds good to me. I'm gonna go read for a bit."

"Have fun," Jenna said and waved the younger girl away.

Elena sat on her bed, her laptop sitting in front of her. She placed her fingers on the home row of the keyboard and gently tapped the keys. She gave a mental rundown of everything she had said to Bonnie and before she knew it, she was researching the effects of vervain and legends about vampires and compulsion.


	12. Chapter 12

**a/n: :) this is the chapter you've all been waiting for :) ...well, sorta. It's pretty much all D/E :)**

TWELVE

A week had passed since Elena's conversation with Bonnie. She had avoided Damon at all costs and even limited her time with Stefan. He had come over after he hung out with the guys, telling her how nice it felt to have a group of friends again. He had spent the night and when then parted ways in the morning. Elena hadn't seen him since.

As she entered her room after her shower, her phone started to ring. A little bit of panic began to rise within her as she made her way towards it. It was how she had been feeling every time the phone rang. A sigh of relief escaped her lips at the sight of Matt's name on the display. "Hey."

"Oh good, you're up."

"And so are you," she said, stating the obvious.

"Look, I know you said you wouldn't come to lunch with my mom and me, but she asked if I would invite you. She wants to see you and apologize for that night. Please? It would mean a lot to me."

Elena sighed again. "I guess that would be okay. What time?"

"Oh thank God," he breathed over the phone. "Thank you, Elena. Um, does one o'clock at the Grill work?"

"I will be there. Hey, how are things going with the two of you?"

"Pretty good. So far she's been on her best behavior. When I got home yesterday, she was dumping out all the liquor that was in the house. I told her that if she was serious about this, then she would start with being sober. Turns out she really is serious about being a real parent this time around."

"Awe great. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks. Too bad Vicki isn't around to see this. She could have used the parental influence," he said sadly and then cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'll see you at the Grill."

"Bye Matt," she replied and hung up. The moment she placed the phone on the nightstand, it started ringing again. This time, panic settled in for a good reason. It was Damon. "H-hello?" she asked, answering it just before it went to voicemail.

"Oh good, you're still alive."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Look, I don't really have time to talk right now."

"Well we have to talk some time."

"No we don't."

He muttered something in a foreign language before switching back to English. "It's been a week since I last saw you and I know you're avoiding me because of what happened, but I need to see you."

"Damon-"

"I won't take no for an answer Elena."

"I don't think it's such a good idea."

It was silent for awhile. Just as Elena thought he had hung up, he broke the silence. "Please, Elena, I just... I need to see you."

The tone of his voice caught her by surprise. It was somewhere between desperate and hopeful. It made her feel a little guilty for avoiding him. "I'm meeting Matt for lunch at the Grill. I'll call you after that, okay?"

"Can't I just meet you there? We can play pool."

Elena bit her lip to keep from smiling. "Are we actually going to play this time?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I'll try to be done around two-thirty."

"I'll be there," he said and hung up without waiting to see if she had anything else to say.

Elena stood by the side of her bed, staring at the phone in her hand. A strange feeling washed over her at the prospect of seeing him later that day. The only good thing was that since her talk with Bonnie, she hadn't had another dream or any other visions of the two of them together. While Elena supposed it was a good thing, she missed the ghost of his lips against hers; the way his body felt pressed up against hers.

The sound of the phone crashing to the floor pulled her from her thoughts. Elena cleared her throat and ran a shaky hand through her wet hair. After she picked up the phone, she dialed Bonnie's number. "Hey, did you find anything?"

"Not yet. I found something that might be relative to what we're looking for, but it's not very detailed. I was going to look through my family tree and see if there's someone I can contact. Have you found anything on the vervain?"

"No," Elena groaned as she sat down on the edge of her bed. "I've been putting it in almost everything I drink, but nothing's happened."

"Look, I have to go, but I'll call you when I find something okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Bon," Elena returned hung up. With the phone clutched in her hand, Elena groaned loudly in frustration and leaned back, falling roughly onto the bed. She just _knew_ that today was going to be very, very long day.

* * *

Damon let out a breath of relief after Elena hung up. He had expected her to turn him down. He had even been prepared to go over there and demand that they talk. The past week had been a long and difficult one. Not only had he visited her every night in the hopes of hearing her have another dream about him, but he went home disappointed and more frustrated than ever before. He wanted her. What made her even more desirable was the fact that she wasn't so unobtainable anymore. He had had her once, he was determine to have her again. Only this time, he would never let her go.

Glancing at the clock, he swore at the time. He had hours to kill before meeting Elena at the Grill. He knew that if he showed up and waited for her at the bar, she would think of him as a stalker. Instead, he went downstairs, deciding to drink his own liquor. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, surprised by the sound of the Gilbert boy's voice. "What are you doing here?" he asked, entering the parlor.

Jeremy whirled around and gave him a cheeky grin. "I'm waiting for Stefan."

Damon's head cocked upwards so that he could hear better. After a few seconds he was able to hear Stefan moving about his room. "And what are the two of you going to do today?"

"We are going to Tyler's. His father's car needs some work done and Matt said Stefan's great with cars. Especially vintage ones."

Damon nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"We would invite you, but I didn't think you would want to hang out with a bunch of teenagers," Stefan said as he came down, patting Damon's shoulder as he passed his elder brother.

"That's alright, I have better things to do anyway," Damon replied, giving his brother a cocky grin. He knew rubbing the fact that he was going to be spending time with Elena in Stefan's face was probably a bad idea, but he couldn't stop himself.

"Such as?"

"Hanging out with your girlfriend."

Stefan stopped in his tracks and the humor that had been on his face vanished as his eyes locked with Damon's. "She didn't say anything about that."

"I just got off the phone with her."

"Damon-"

"Don't worry, Little Brother, we're just going to play some pool."

Stefan glanced nervously at Jeremy who was watching the exchange with interest. "Are you guys going to vamp out and start breaking things?"

Damon chuckled and moved to the drink cart. "Not today. Sorry, Kid."

"Jeremy, can you wait for me in the garage?" Stefan asked.

"Sure," he said, knowing it was best not to argue with the vampire.

Once he was gone, Stefan turned to his brother again. "I-"

"You forget that Elena and I are friends. I asked if she wanted to hang out and she said that would be fine. You're the one who told me to stop showing up at her house to ask. Just relax, I'm not going to make a pass at her," he assured him before downing his shot. After he placed the tumbler back on the cart, he started moving towards the door. "Unless she wants me too," he whispered in Stefan's ear and disappeared before Stefan could react.

* * *

All through lunch, Elena tried to listen to Kelly's stories, but her mind was solely focused on Damon and what would happen when she saw him. A week ago, she would have slapped him for kissing her, but she wasn't sure anymore. Especially after that dream. That being said, Elena thought she was dreaming as her eyes slid past Kelly's shoulder to lock with familiar piercing blue ones. Elena blinked a few times. Once she realized he was really there, sitting at the bar, patiently waiting for her, she cleared her throat and focused on the mother and son at her table.

"Elena, I'm so glad you agreed to have lunch with us," Kelly said as she reached across the table to take the younger girl's hands.

"Thanks for inviting me," she replied and slid out of the booth at the same time Kelly did.

"I may not be the best mother on the planet, but if you need anything, you feel free to come over, okay? I owe it to your parents to help you and your brother in any way that I can," she said, cupping Elena's cheeks.

At the mention of her late parents, Elena's vision blurred with tears. She stepped back and nodded. "Thanks again."

"Do you want a ride home?" Matt asked, knowing she had walked.

"No, I'm actually meeting someone."

"Who?" Matt asked in surprise. He knew Stefan was at Tyler's because that's where he was headed after the Grill. His eyes lifted to the bar and he saw Damon. "Elena-"

"He's my friend, Matt. I'll see you guys later," she said, indicating the end of the conversation. She gave both of them a hug and then headed to the bar to greet Damon. "Thank you for not coming over," she said, standing in front of where he sat.

He noticed how glossy her eyes were and he looked at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

She nodded and shifted her weight. "I'm fine."

"Elena-"

"Please, just let it go," she demanded. "Why don't you get a table and I'll find you," she suggested and took off for the bathroom before he could say anything.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, watching as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She had finally got the point where it didn't hurt to think about her parents or talk about them with Jenna and Jeremy, but when other people mentioned them, the wound seemed to reopen. She gave herself a few minutes before dabbing a piece of paper towel at her eyes, straightening her clothes, and heading back out into the restaurant.

"Feeling better?" Damon asked as he handed her a cue stick once she found him at a table.

"Yes," she answered and placed her purse on the chair closest to them. "Will you break?"

"Sure," he replied.

They were both surprised about how casual things seemed. Nothing was awkward. It felt _right_. They played the first game in companionable silence, neither of them wanting to bring up the kiss, but knowing it had to be brought up sooner rather than later. As they started setting up for another game, Damon took her stick and leaned against the table as he looked at her. She stared up at him, knowing what he was going to say.

"I want to apologize for kissing you last week."

She inclined her head. "It wasn't all your fault," she said quietly.

His brow rose and his head tilted to the side. "What does that mean?"

Elena swallowed hard and decided to just get it over with. "I'm not going to pretend that I didn't kiss you back. It was mutual and I know that if I hadn't gotten a phone call, we might not have stopped when we did." She paused and shifted her weight. "I wanted to see if the kisses I kept imagining were in my head or if they were memories."

"Why would they be memories?" he asked, trying not to get his hopes up.

"I don't know," she started, crossing her arms over her chest. "You tell me."

The sudden hardness of her tone made Damon's breath catch. It was almost as if she knew something. Almost.

Just as he started to believe she had remembered, she shook her head and laughed to herself. "It's just something Bonnie said. Never mind, of course it's all in my head. It doesn't mean anything though. I never said you weren't attractive," she said and stopped a waitress to order a drink.

Damon wanted nothing more than to correct her, but knew he couldn't. "So let's get this straight. You think I'm attractive and you keep imagining us kissing."

She gave him a look he couldn't read. "Like I said, it doesn't mean anything. I'm allowed to think people are attractive without acting on it. I have a boyfriend."

Damon smirked at the sound of the last sentence. It sounded as though she were trying to reassure herself more than remind him of her status. "Yes, I am painfully aware of your _boyfriend_."

"Look, if you're going to keep discussing feelings, I'm going to leave. I said I would be your friend, but I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Fair enough," he said and pushed himself away from the table. "It's your turn to break."

* * *

After an hour of playing pool and talking about random topics, they both had had their fill of the game. Damon had been sneaking drinks to her when no one was looking. As he offered her another shot, she waved her hand to decline it. "No thanks. I've already had enough."

"There's no such thing as enough," he teased as he took their sticks back to the rack on the wall.

When Elena reached the table where her things were, she heard her ring tone. As she lifted it out of her purse, she saw Stefan's name on the display. "Hello," she said, picking it up just before it went to voicemail.

Damon came back and nodded towards her phone. "Who's that?"

"It's Bonnie. I'm going to take this outside," she said and grabbed her purse before leaving the restaurant. "Hey, what's up?" she asked once she was in the alley on the side of the building.

"I think I found a spell."

"Really?"

"Want to come over later?"

"Of course. After dinner?"

"Yeah, that would be best. I'm going to see what I need and I'll call you when I'm ready."

"Great. Thank you," Elena said and hung up. After returning her phone to her pocket, she turned to leave the alley only to bump into Damon. "Good God, you really need to stop doing that," she said as she shoved him playfully.

"But it's so much fun," he teased.

She smiled up at him as they fell into an awkward silence. "Um, I should probably head home. Thanks for hanging out with me today."

"No, thank you," he said.

She smiled up at him for a bit longer and then tried to pass him. Instead, he blocked her. "Damon-"

"I lied earlier. I'm not sorry for kissing you. Every time I look at you I want to kiss you," he said, stepping forward until she was caught between him and the wall, his hands on either side of her head. He heard her breath quicken and her heart rate increase. "And I know you think about more than just kissing me."

"I-" she started, feeling her cheeks beginning to heat up. The rest of her words died in her throat.

He leaned in, watching as her eyes fluttered, but remaining in place. He took the fact that she didn't move away or fight him as a good sign. "I need you to remember," he breathed before lowering his lips to hers.

Elena heard his voice, but wasn't sure what he said. All thoughts went away as their lips met. Once again, it felt right when it should have felt wrong. This time, Elena parted her lips without hesitation. Her heart hammered away in her chest cavity as his tongue caressed hers ever so lightly. His hands slowly dropped from the wall to her shoulders then slid down her arms before moving them to her hips. Elena placed her hands on his chest, her fingers clutching his shirt.

The kiss was full of passion and desire, fueled by mutual need. Elena melted into his embrace, reveling in the familiarity of his kiss. Just another sign that it was indeed memories she experienced instead of her imagination running wild. As his hands slid up her sides, a moan escaped her lips, causing him to push his body closer to hers. When his hands cupped the sides of her breasts, the reality of the situation settled in and Elena shoved him away from her. Without saying anything, she adjusted her purse and left a stunned Damon alone in the alley.

Elena had her fingers lying over her lips the entire walk home. She was still in shock over what had just happened. It was surreal and her mind was still reeling from the passion that had consumed her. By the time she reached her house, her entire body was trembling. She was surprised when she was able to put the key in the lock and let herself in. Once she was inside, she slammed the door and leaned her back against it, slowly sliding down to the floor.

She sat there for some time, reliving the kiss over and over again. The longer she kept her eyes closed, the clearer the visions got. She could feel Damon pressed up against her; bare skin to bare skin. Her body tingled with the promise of release as he continued to move against her. It was then that she felt another pair of hands on her and a second pair of lips on her neck. Elena turned her head to the side and saw Katherine smirking at her.

Elena's eyes flew open and she scrambled to her feet. _That's new_, she thought and shook her head. Instead of dwelling on it, Elena made her way up to her room. She flopped down on the foot of the bed and stared at the ceiling. Hopefully Bonnie would call her soon and she could figure out what was going on. Something wasn't right and she was determined to figure out what it was.


	13. Chapter 13

THIRTEEN

Damon woke with a start. He bolted into a sitting position, his fangs bared to an empty room. When he calmed down, his fangs retracted and he rubbed his jaw. He launched himself backwards, staring up at the ceiling. He had woken from either the best dream ever or the worst nightmare. He turned his head to the side and inhaled the scent that had almost completely faded.

He had dreamed of her again. As he did every night. A part of him ached for her, whether or not his emotions were on or off. Every time, he woke up just as Katherine compelled her. This time, he had also dreamed of the kiss from the previous afternoon. It made the dream less like a nightmare. The fact that she had kissed him back immediately had proved that she was starting to remember. It was a tiny step in the right direction. As impatient as he was, he knew he had to wait it out.

The images of her lying beneath him, the feel of her body pressed tightly against his danced behind his eyelids the moment they drifted closed. Damon groaned with frustration as he felt himself become hard. He had woken up that way from the dream, but any hope of his erection going away on its own was completely gone now.

Damon kept his eyes closed so the images would stay vivid. It was like watching a movie with a crystal clear quality. He mentally rewound it to the beginning, to the first time he had kissed Elena. Concentrating on that, he reached down and pulled his cock from his boxers. As his fingers wrapped around the hardened shaft, he moved from the kiss to Elena pleasing him with her mouth. A low groan escaped his lips as he remembered the way her velvety tongue and soft lips had worked their magick on him.

The picture changed again, slowly fading into the image of him kneeling behind Elena. She was on her hands and knees before him, her face nestled between Katherine's legs. As his hand moved up and down his length, his pace increasing with each stroke, he imagined the tight wet heat that Elena had enveloped him in. His eyes squeezed shut as his he felt the edge of his release. The moment he felt Elena's bare skin pressed flush against his, he was pushed over the brink.

Damon went absolutely still, trying to hold on to those images for as long as he could. When he opened his eyes, he could only see Katherine compelling Elena to forget everything they had just shared. Growling at the empty room, he shoved the soiled sheets off of his body and got to his feet, shedding his clothes as he made his way to the bathroom.

* * *

Elena groaned in frustration and let herself fall back on the bed. Her head hung off one side while her feet dangled off the other. Bonnie was lying the opposite way across the foot of the bed, looking just as frustrated. "Well, that was a waste of time," Bonnie mumbled.

"I'll say," Elena agreed.

Bonnie had called Elena an hour after she had gotten home from the Grill, saying that her father wanted her to be home for dinner. He wanted some quality time with his daughter. That had postponed their trial of spells until the next day. Elena had been at Bonnie's for over two hours trying various potions and chants, but nothing worked. She still wasn't sure if the images were flashbacks or her mind playing a twisted game with her.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, Bon. You really did try everything you could think of."

The darker girl nodded and tapped her fingers on the bed. "I wasn't able to contact any of my family either. They either want nothing to do with their nature or they haven't realized it yet. I think Grams was the only one that knew about it. At least out of the family I know of."

Elena winced as a wave of guilt washed over her. She sat up, bracing herself on her arms stretched out behind her. "I can't say how sorry I am for what happened to Grams," she said.

"It's not your fault."

"Maybe not entirely, but some of it was. I really thought that if he had gotten Katherine out of the tomb, he would leave and that would be that. I never expected it to go horribly wrong."

Bonnie nodded absently as she continued to stare at the ceiling. "I really wish you'd stop apologizing, Elena. It's not going to bring her back."

Elena nodded and leaned forward, putting her hands in her lap. She didn't feel like sitting in silence, so she decided to change the subject. "So I had another vision or whatever you want to call it yesterday."

"Yeah?" Bonnie asked, turning her head slightly so she could see her friend.

"No judging?" she asked lightly.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes, but nodded. "Let's just assume anything you have to tell me about this will not be judged."

Elena smirked and dropped her gaze to her hands. "I came home from the Grill yesterday and all I could think about was Damon. We..." Elena took a deep breath and knew it was best to leave nothing out. "We kissed again. He said something right after I got off the phone with you."

"What did he say?"

"Something along the lines of every time he sees me he wants to kiss me. He said something else right before he closed the gap between us, but I couldn't hear him clearly."

"What stopped you guys this time?" Bonnie asked, trying to keep her disgust at bay. She knew Elena was friends with him on some level, but she still hated him. To her, he would always be the monster that wreaked havoc around her town a year ago.

Elena shrugged. "Not sure, but when I got home, all I could see were the images. They were crystal clear and it all felt so real. Then, out of nowhere, I felt another set of hands on me in the vision. When I turned my head, I saw Katherine smirking at me," Elena said. "That was the strangest part of it all."

Bonnie pulled herself into a sitting position and shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense at all. If you're imaging Katherine, I can assure you that it's not some kind of compulsion blocking your memories."

Elena narrowed her eyes at the witch. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"As much as I hate him, I know you get along with him. You two are friends. He likes you and despite what you may think, you like him too. I always thought you were having these visions about him because you were starting to realize these feelings, but if she's in the picture, I know that's definitely not it. It's just you going insane."

"Thanks, I feel much better now," Elena muttered in a deadpan voice.

"When was the last time you slept with Stefan?"

"Bonnie!"

"I'm being serious," she said, making it clear that she really didn't want to know the details of Elena's sex life. Sure, they were best friends and they shared everything, but once she found out what Stefan was, she no longer wanted to have in depth girl talks.

Elena inclined her head and bit her lip while she thought about it. "It's been awhile. Probably since before Katherine came into town." She made a face at the realization. "Wow, it really _has _been awhile."

"Maybe you're having these visions of Damon because you're not being intimate with Stefan. I've seen you guys hold hands, but apparently you're getting more action from Damon than you are your boyfriend."

Elena felt her cheeks heat up at that. "I keep trying to start things, but Stefan keeps pushing me away. He's too afraid that he'll lose control around me."

"Then maybe you shouldn't be with him."

Elena stared at her. "Bonnie-"

"Look, you need someone who is just as passionate as you are; someone who won't hurt you because they lack control. It's not healthy."

"So, what? I should be with Damon then? Is that what you're trying to say?"

Bonnie's jaw dropped in horror. "No! That's not what I'm saying at all."

Elena got to her feet. "Oh, you mean don't be with a vampire at all."

Bonnie nodded. "I know you love him, but how long do you think you can be together? Elena-"

"I don't want to hear it Bon. Thank you for trying the spells. I think I'm going to head out. I'll see you later," Elena said before hurrying out of the room.

Bonnie hurried after her, stopping Elena at the front door. "I'm sorry. I just want you to be happy. I just think it would be better if you weren't with someone so dangerous. There are only so many times you can put your life on the line for him."

Elena nodded and gave Bonnie a small smile. She reached out and hugged her friend. "I am happy," she said although she was starting to wonder if that were really true anymore. "I'll see you later." Elena walked to her car, leaving a silent Bonnie behind. Once on the road, she felt a bit more relaxed.

She nearly jumped at the sound of her ringtone going off in her pocket. She answered it without looking at the display. "Hello?"

"Hey," came Stefan's voice. "You alright?"

"Yeah," she said and gave a short laugh. "The phone scared me is all."

"So I was thinking about that date night thing you mentioned."

"Yeah?"

"Does tonight work for you?"

Elena smiled and nestled back into her seat. "Tonight's good."

"Oh good, because I already made the reservation. And before you ask, no, I'm not going to tell you anything. Just be ready by six."

"How fancy should I be?"

"Not over the top, but a little bit more than casual," he answered.

"Sounds good, I'll see you at six then," she said and they said their goodbyes. The entire drive home was spent thinking about what he had planned for her and what she was going to wear.

* * *

At six o'clock sharp, the doorbell sounded throughout the Gilbert house. Elena looked up and met Jenna's eyes in her mirror. "Can you finish up by yourself?" her aunt asked.

"I think so," Elena answered, taking the curling iron from Jenna.

"I'll go let him in and you can make your grand entrance from the staircase," Jenna said, practically giddy.

Elena rolled her eyes. "We've been on dates before, Jenna."

"Yes, but not like this. He's taking you somewhere where you have to dress up!" she exclaimed. "Somewhere besides a Founder's event." She reached forward and patted Elena's shoulder. "I have to live vicariously through you because you're the one getting wined and dined."

Elena couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Would you go let him in?" she asked playfully.

"Don't take too long," Jenna said as she left the room.

Elena put the finishing touches on her ensemble and then studied herself in the full length oval mirror next to her closet. She had borrowed a pair of Jenna's dressy black pants that hid her black heels. The top was a halter of black and red, one color fading into the other to create a unique pattern. She had gathered her hair off to one side and it hung in front of her, covering one shoulder. She looked classy and elegant and she could only hope that this is what Stefan had meant by fancy, but not too fancy.

Satisfied with her image, Elena stepped away from the mirror and left her room. As she rested her hand on the banister and took her first step, she could no longer see Stefan. Instead, she was wearing her blue gown from the Miss Mystic Falls event and Damon was at the bottom of the stairs. He was wearing that half smirk that made her breath quicken and her heart skip a beat.

Elena shook her head and the image faded, letting her focus on Stefan. He hadn't noticed the expression on her face as he was transfixed by her as a whole. He extended his hand for her to take and then raised hers to his lips. Jenna smiled brightly in approval as she watched the exchange. "God, you guys are so good together," she whispered.

"Thanks," Stefan said as she linked their fingers together.

"Have fun you two," she said and let the couple leave.

Once they were on the porch with the door closed, Stefan leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. "You look amazing."

"Thank you, you look pretty suave," she said, commenting on his casual tux.

He nodded his thanks and stepped away to retrieve the single red rose he had placed on the banister. She took it and inhaled the scent of the flower. Instead of going inside to get a vase, she stuck the rose into the pot of plants by the door. "Good idea," he said and extended his arm for her to take. "Shall we?"

"Yes please," Elena said and walked with him to his car.

The drive had been filled with Stefan talking about his time hanging out with the guys. It made Elena feel good to know that her family and friends were accepting him even though they knew what he was, Tyler and Matt excluded. The fact that he was talking about it at all meant that he liked having friends. Stefan wasn't usually one for talking. He had asked her how her time was with Damon and Elena had kept the kiss from him, saying the afternoon was good.

Their date ended up being at a restaurant in Richmond. It was a three star French place that only took reservations that usually took months of waiting for. Luckily for them, Stefan knew one of the owners quite well. Through dinner, they talked about whatever they could think of. Stefan ended up doing most of the talking. He had told Elena about some of his travels over the years, another thing he hadn't done before. He was definitely full of surprises tonight.

Once dinner was over, they headed back to Mystic Falls. This time, the drive was relatively silent. They were both out of things to say. Elena focused on the scenery that passed by in a blur outside her window. Her thoughts were stuck on Bonnie and her words from earlier. She was happy with Stefan, but something had changed in their relationship.

While they had had conversation over dinner, Stefan had dodged all of her attempts to get close. She had ran her foot up his leg and he simply readjusted his position. When she put her hands out, signaling for him to hold them, he ignored her. Even on the drive home, Elena noticed the deafening silence that filled the air. She had felt him tense when she placed her hand over his, causing her to immediately withdraw it.

As she continued to stare out the window, her thoughts drifted to her latest kiss with Damon. She found herself wondering how it would be on a date with him. She was almost a hundred percent sure that he would be open to public displays of affection. Elena was also sure that he would have no problem keeping the conversation going. She retreated from her thoughts only when the car came to a stop in front of her house. She took it as not a very good sign that she was thinking about a date with Damon while on a date with Stefan.

Elena climbed out of the car before Stefan had the chance to open her door for her. They walked up to the front door, side-by-side, but didn't touch. Elena turned and rested her back against the exterior of the house. She smiled at him and reached for his hands, needing him to reassure her. "You sure know how to plan a date."

"I've had some experience," he teased and took her by surprise when he stepped forward, his body pressing lightly against hers.

Their eyes met and locked while her thumbs rubbed slow circles on the back of his hands. She waited for him to close the gap between them, but he never did. Elena decided to be bold and do it herself. She let go of his hands and wound her arms around his neck before capturing his lips with hers. She took it as a good sign that he didn't pull away or give any indication that he was going to stop it.

As the kiss continued at a agonizingly slow pace, Elena couldn't help but compare it to the stolen kisses she had experienced with Damon. If she was being honest with herself, the elder Salvatore was the better of the two. Their kisses were raw and passionate; both times Elena had lost herself even though the first kiss had been brief. Standing here, lips locked with the man she loved, she felt nothing. There was no spark. Stefan used to ground her, take away her troubles, make her forget, but now... Nothing.

Stefan broke the kiss and Elena knew what was coming. He wasn't going to stay the night. He rested his forehead against hers as his hands caressed her neck. "I had a really great time," he breathed.

Elena nodded. She knew if she spoke, she would end up crying. She didn't want to have to explain her feelings right now.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said and moved his head up to kiss her forehead. "I love you."

"You too," she managed to get out as he withdrew from her. For the first time, she couldn't seem to say the words because it would have been a lie. With that thought, Elena turned and headed inside. Fortunately, Jenna either seemed to be out or already asleep as there were no lights on downstairs. Slowly, Elena made her way upstairs, collapsing onto the bed, knowing she had a decision to make and it wouldn't be an easy one.


	14. Chapter 14

**a/n: so I took out the most graphic part of this chapter haha. You're welcome. :)**

FOURTEEN

Elena was stretched out on top of her bed, lying on her stomach. She had her eyes glued to a book and her feet propped up on the headboard. Her headphones were in so that she could tune out Tyler and Jeremy screaming at the television downstairs as they continued to lose at their video game. It had been a week since her date with Stefan and they had another date planned for tonight. She had kept their time together to an absolute minimum because she had yet to figure out her feelings. She had talked to Bonnie about her revelations after her date, but that was it. Stefan didn't seem to mind her distance as he was almost always with the guys. Elena was grateful he had made friends.

In the meantime, she had been avoiding Damon as well. And it seemed as though he were avoiding her too.

After a lot of internal debates and several lists of pros and cons, Elena knew what she had to do. She had to talk to Stefan and voice her wants. She wanted to be in a relationship with him in every way. That included intimacy. If it wasn't something he was interested in, deep down, Elena knew it could never work. It wasn't like she was asking for sex every day, but she needed to know that they had something more than just friendship. Bonnie was right, she needed the passion, that spark people get from the simplest touch. It was why she had ended things with Matt.

Originally, the spark had been there with Stefan, but somewhere along the way, it had gone away. A sign that maybe it wasn't meant to be after all.

Elena came back to reality, realizing she had been trying to read the same page for about a half an hour now. She shook her head and closed the book, pushing it away from her. Before she rolled onto her back, she grabbed her phone that was at the edge of the bed and was surprised to see three missed phones calls, a voicemail, and over a dozen messages. All from Caroline.

Elena shut off her iPod, removed her headphones, and called her friend back without reading or listening to any of the messages. The blonde answered on the first ring. "God, I thought you died."

"Nope, sorry to disappoint," Elena teased.

"Do you have any plans for today?"

"No."

"Oh good."

"Aren't you still at your dad's?"

"I came home last night. I already called Bonnie and she agreed to a girl's day out. What do you say? Shopping, lunch, movie, dinner, whatever? Just the three of us?"

Elena thought it over and heard a roar from downstairs. "Yeah, actually, that sounds fun."

"Good, I'll be there in an hour," Caroline said and hung up before Elena could protest.

"Oookay," Elena said and forced herself up. She was glad she had showered earlier. All she had to do was find an outfit and take her time putting it together. Knowing Caroline, an hour could end up being ten to fifteen minutes from now. Still, Elena took her time, throwing on jeans and a simple short sleeved tee. Not wanting to sit alone in her room anymore, she made her way downstairs.

She was somewhat surprised to see Stefan in the living room with Tyler and Jeremy. He hadn't mentioned that he was coming over, nor had he said hello. He did a double take when she walked into the room. Elena stayed near the entrance and Stefan got up from the couch to approach her.

"Have you been here long?"

He shook his head. "Maybe ten minutes. I was here to see you, but they drew me in. Sorry," he said, giving her a lopsided grin.

Elena couldn't help but smile. "Well, I hope you weren't planning on hanging out with me. Caroline's on her way over to get me. I guess we're having a girl's day out."

"What time will you be back?"

She shrugged. "I can't say with Caroline. What time do you want me to be ready?"

"Whenever. Just give me a head's up on when you're headed back and how far out you are. Do you know where you guys are going?"

"She mentioned shopping so probably Fell's Church."

"Ah, you won't be gone that long then."

Elena shook her head in agreement. "So...what would you like me to wear this time?"

"Whatever you'd like. It's not going to be like last time. Casual would be fine."

She smirked at him and reached for his hand. "Sounds good. Any hints?"

He smiled coyly. "I don't think so."

"What about...now?" she asked, leaning into him with her lips centimeters from his.

He kissed her briefly and then moved his lips to her ear. "Nice try."

"Hey Salvatore, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't feel up my sister with me in the room," came Jeremy's voice, his eyes still glued to the TV.

Stefan and Elena pulled away from each other chuckling slightly and shaking their heads. With their fingers laced together, they walked to the couch. Elena sat there and watched them play while she waited for Caroline. Just as she suspected, it had taken the blonde girl much less than an hour to get there. After saying a quick goodbye to the boys, she left the house and climbed into the backseat of Caroline's car.

* * *

The first thing the trio did after arriving in Fell's Church was get lunch. It had been the next thing on Elena's to do list that day seeing as she had skipped breakfast before receiving all of her friend's messages. By the time they got there, her stomach was growling. Bonnie and Elena sat there listening to Caroline go on and on about the time she spent with her father. Neither of them minded because it was one of few things in life that made Caroline genuinely happy. Her father's absence was hard on her and everyone knew it.

Once lunch was over, they walked around the strip mall of boutiques and chain stores. "So now that you know how my summer has been so far, why don't you tell me about yours," Caroline said, looking at Bonnie. "Seeing anyone?"

The witch rolled her eyes as she picked a shirt off the rack. "You've only been gone a few weeks, Care."

"So? That doesn't mean anything."

Bonnie shook her head at the blonde. "I'm not seeing anyone. Sorry."

"Oh! You know what? I think I just had the best idea."

"And that would be...?" Bonnie asked.

"Do you think Stefan would let us have a get together thing at his house? Just us, no adults around?"

"Maybe. What did you have in mind?"

"A barbeque. It's summer and no one's had one yet. Don't worry, I won't invite everyone, just the ones I care about."

"I'll ask him and see what he thinks."

"Perfect! Speaking of, how are you and Stefan?" Elena glanced at Bonnie and panicked as Caroline picked up on the hesitation. "Ooh, I can tell this is going to be good. What's going on?" she asked, extremely excited about gossip.

"It's nothing huge."

"I was away for a few weeks, completely out of the loop, and you're not going to fill me in? When I left, you two were inseparable and now you're hesitating when I ask how things are going. Obviously something's wrong. Tell me," she demanded.

Elena sighed, knowing that her friend really did want to know. Caroline could be completely self-absorbed and gossip too much, but when it came to her best friends, she wanted hear all the details and try her best to help. Elena knew she couldn't tell her the full story, especially the stuff about Damon and Katherine, but she could tell her that she wasn't feeling as attracted to Stefan as she once was. And that was exactly what she did.

"I'm not really sure when it started, but lately, I have been feeling like there's this distance between us. I love him, but it's starting to feel like the relationship isn't working. Do you remember how Matt and I were towards the end? Before the accident." Both girls nodded and Elena continued. "That's exactly what it feels like with Stefan."

"Is there someone else?" Caroline asked.

Elena refused to look at Bonnie, but she could feel the witch's eyes burning as she stared at her. "No," Elena answered, not sure if it was a lie or not.

"Are you guys still sleeping together?"

Elena shook her head. "We've been reduced to hand holding and quick pecks on the lips," she said and told her about the date they had been on last week.

"Elena, you need to tell him before things get too bad," Caroline said, grabbing Elena by the shoulders. "Do you still love him? Do you want to make it work?"

The brunette hesitated; it was what she had been asking herself for over a week now. Only, she finally had an answer. "I don't know." The words came out in a barely audible whisper.

Caroline pulled her into a hug and patted her back. "Here's what we're going to do. You're going on another date tonight. You're going to wear something casual, but it's going to scream 'do me'."

"And what if he doesn't?" Elena asked, unable to hold back a smile.

"Then he's crazy and you really do have a problem. Not that everything's about sex, but he's a teenaged boy. If he doesn't take you up on your offers, he's either gay or he's crazy," she answered and then grabbed Elena and Bonnie by the wrists. "Come on, we've got some outfit hunting to do."

* * *

Elena sat in front of her vanity, letting Caroline fuss with her hair and make-up. Bonnie sat on Elena's bed, going through an old magazine and pressing skip on Elena's iTunes when instructed. They had been back for almost an hour and Stefan was due to come over any minute now, causing Caroline to move about frantically, trying to make Elena "doable." Caroline stepped back and studied her friend. She reached out and gently nudged her bangs away from her face before giving the nod of approval. "Perfect!" she exclaimed and set the flat iron down on the vanity.

Elena got up and moved to the large mirror next to the closet. She turned around to inspect herself from various angles. She wasn't wearing anything special, just her normal clothes and a tad bit more make up than usual, but whatever Caroline had done had worked wonders. "Wow."

Caroline inclined her head as she moved to stand behind Elena. "If Stefan doesn't throw himself at you, you can tell him that I will."

Bonnie chuckled. "If her looks don't do it, _that_ definitely will."

The blonde grinned and winked at Elena in the mirror. All three girl's went absolutely still at the sound of the doorbell. "I'll get it!" Caroline all but shouted before running from the room.

"Elena?" Bonnie said, getting to her feet.

"Yes?"

"Be careful," she warned, saying nothing else.

The two girls made their way downstairs to see Stefan and Caroline talking. Well, Stefan listening, Caroline chatting his ears off. Elena stood by his side and put her hand on his shoulder. "Ready?"

He nodded. "Bye ladies."

"Have fun!" Caroline yelled after them.

Once the door was shut, Stefan took her hand in his and led her to the curb. "Where's your car?"

"I parked it down the street. We don't need it, but I didn't want them to see it still sitting here."

Elena was puzzled by that, but nodded anyway. "Okay."

"You look gorgeous."

That made the confusion disappear and her eyes light up. "Thanks. Caroline is a whiz with hair and make up."

He stopped and made sure he could see her eyes. "Not that you need it anyway."

She smiled and they continued walking. It wasn't long before she realized where they were going. It wasn't really a park, but it was an empty field that had never been made into anything. Fond memories of playing catch with her dad and catching butterflies with her mom flooded her, bringing a bittersweet smile to her face.

"Elena?" he asked when she had stopped walking.

"Sorry," she said and wiped at her eyes, hoping her make up wasn't ruined. "I haven't been here in a long time."

He put an arm around her should and led her to the place that he had already set up for their outing. There was a picnic basket, a large blanket, and a few candles set up around the perimeter. "I figured we could use something simple for a change."

"I love it," she said as he started removing food from the basket.

Slowly, she sank to her knees in the middle of the blanket and watched him serve up two plates. "So how was your day?" he asked.

Elena's heart sank a little. It sounded so generic. "It was good. I missed Caroline and we even found some good deals."

Stefan handed her a plate and brushed his hand lightly with hers. He glanced down and then studied her hand. "Where's your ring?" he asked.

Elena set the plate down and began touching her right ring finger. She had forgotten all about the promise ring he had bought for her. "I..." she started, trying for the life of her to remember where it was. "I took it off to wash my hands awhile ago and forgot to put it back on." It was definitely a sign; she had put the ring away and forgotten all about it. A ring that was supposed to represent their eternal love and the promise of marriage.

"Oh," was all he said as he poured her a glass of wine.

Elena drank most of it before she even touched her food. She wasn't sure if the ring was in the bathroom, but she knew she had to find it before she saw him next. "This is good," she said after trying the main course.

He nodded and thanked her. He started asking her more about their outing and she answered it, grateful that they weren't going to sit in silence for the rest of the night. She had even brought up the barbeque Caroline had mentioned and he agreed. Elena told him to call Caroline for the details because she would most likely want to plan everything. After an hour of sitting on the blanket, the candles had all blown out from the breeze, they decided to pack up and head back to Elena's.

As they stood on her porch, Elena knew she had to bring up the subject she had been avoiding for far too long. "We need to talk," she said, looking straight at him.

"I know we do."

"I feel like we're falling apart. There's this distance between us and I don't know how to get back to where we used to be."

"I've been feeling it too."

"I used to be able to sit next to you in silence and be fine, but now it's awkward. What happened to us, Stefan? I feel like I'm fighting to keep us going, but I feel like I'm the only one."

He stepped forward and cupped her face. "I know what you want, Elena and I just can't."

"Why?" she practically whined and pulled away from him. "I get that you've been around for awhile, but I would like to be able to be intimate with my boyfriend. You've controlled yourself before, Stefan. I know you can do it again. I'm not saying it has to be every day, but give me something. We've been together three times. I want to be with you in every way. Can't you just-"

He cut her off by pulling her to him and crashing his lips down onto hers. Her eyes fluttered before they finally closed and she clutched him, afraid that he would go. He pulled away to give her some air while he whispered in her ear. "It's not that I don't want you, Elena, because I do. Do you know how hard it is to deny you every time? I'm still trying to get control over myself and I don't want to hurt you." He caressed the small of her back as he kept her in his arms.

"You won't hurt me, Stefan," she repeated and moved to kiss him again, tenderly this time.

When Elena pulled away for air again, Stefan lifted her up and whisked her inside with his superhuman speed, ensuring that no one would see them. He gently laid her down on the bed and hovered over her. She reached up and cupped his face, her fingers tracing the lines. He placed small kisses along her jaw when she lowered her hands to his shoulders before sitting back to remove his shirt. Elena followed suit and tossed her shirt to the floor.

Stefan captured her lips with his as his hand traveled between her bra clad breasts, down her abdomen, and then disappeared behind her jeans. She moaned into his mouth as his fingers brushed her core over her underwear. In a flash, he was removing her jeans to allow him better access. He returned to her side and resumed kissing her while his hand moved the bit of fabric to the side so his middle finger could tease her.

Elena decided to mimic his movements again and reached down between their bodies. Her hand sunk behind his waistband and boxers. He hissed as her delicate fingers wrapped around his hardening length. As Elena began to move her hand up and down, she felt him add another finger. She let out another moan, a little louder this time and Stefan felt his jaw tick with the beginnings of his bloodlust. He ground his teeth together and picked up his face, shuddering as she did the same.

Unable to restrain himself any longer, he used his enhanced strength and speed to pin her down on the mattress. He stared down at her as she cupped his face again. Her eyes were filled with wonder as she bent her knees to cradles his body with her thighs. Her fingers ghosted over the prominent veins and the elongated canines that indented his lower lips. Stefan could see that she was more aroused now and it didn't sit well with him.

He heard the whine leave her lips as he withdrew and began redressing. "Stefan-"

"This shouldn't turn you on," he said, pointing to his face which was still vamped out. "This should make you tower in fear."

"If it did then I wouldn't be with you at all."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be."

Elena sat up and stared at him. "What are you saying?"

He shook his head and forced his fangs to retract, his face going back to normal. "I don't know, but I think I better leave."

"No, Stefan, wait!" she protested, but he was gone by the time she got to her feet.

* * *

Damon saw from down the street as Stefan zipped from the Gilbert house. He arrived to see Elena pacing the foot of her bed. He had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't dreaming as he saw her clad in only her under garments. She was muttering under her breath and he could tell she was frustrated and very, very aroused. It was all he could do to keep himself rooted in his vantage point and not rush into her room.

She caught him by surprise as she let out a growl and flung herself down onto the bed. She had her knees bent, slightly swaying from side to side as she stared at the ceiling. He swallowed thickly as he saw her hand snake its way down her stomach and dip behind her underwear. He saw her bite her bottom lip as she adjusted her body to grant herself better access. He saw her fingers moving up and down beneath the black piece of cotton.

He knew it was a little disturbing that he was watching, but he was completely mesmerized by the sight, unable to look away. Just like he had been when he'd caught her dreaming about him. But this...this was ten times better. Damon saw the way her back arched slightly as her fingers moved faster and faster with each stroke. Her other hand was squeezing her breasts. The louder her moans got, the harder he became. Just as he felt himself moving towards her, he heard the unmistakable sound of her release. She motions stilled and she sighed contentedly.

Damon watched as she lay completely still for what seemed like hours before she crawled underneath the covers and closed her eyes. He continued to watch her through the night, wondering what his little brother had done to make her get off by herself and what it meant for the couple. A small glimmer of hope rose in his chest as he continued to watch her sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

FIFTEEN

It had been three days since the incident. Three whole days and neither one of them had spoken to each other. If it weren't for Caroline having gone through a lot of trouble to make the barbeque happen, Elena wouldn't even be going over there. She knew Bonnie and Caroline would have a lot of questions for her, seeing as how she hadn't spoken to either one of them about what happened. They figured it wasn't good and didn't press her for details, knowing she would come to them when she was ready.

Elena was sitting on the window bench, staring out the window. She had Stefan's promise ring pinched between her thumb and forefinger. Absently, she toyed with the circular piece of metal while she contemplated their relationship. She had been apprehensive at best when he had given it to her a few weeks ago and now she knew it had been a bad idea.

Mentally exhausted, she let the ring fall into her palm and then closed her fingers around it. Her eyes drifted closed and she took a deep breath. As she worked on clearing her mind, she heard a light knock on her door. Keeping her eyes closed, she instructed whoever was there to come in. "Hey," came Jenna's voice.

Elena looked up and attempted a smile for her aunt, but she knew it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm going to be at the boarding house for dinner."

"I know, Jer told me."

Elena nodded and leaned her head against the wall. "Is he home?"

Jenna shook her head and studied her niece. "He said something about getting a ride from Tyler. I think he was over there last night. Honey, what's wrong?"

The brunette took another deep breath and looked at Jenna. "It's Stefan. I think I might end things with him."

"Really?" she asked, disbelief in her eyes and her voice. She offered the younger girl an apologetic smile and sighed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know," Elena answered, trying to picture how Jenna would handle this conversation. She was still trying to deal with the whole vampire situation and the problems Elena and Stefan were having bordered on Jenna's uncomfortable topics.

"Look, I don't care if it has to do with the fact that he's a vampire. You love him and if you're hurt, I'm going to do my best to be here for you as I would be with a normal human."

Elena smiled, glad that Jenna seemed to be handling this a lot better than she had been a few weeks ago. "Okay."

"Start from the beginning."

Elena started with the break. She told Jenna the whole story, leaving out the stolen kisses she had shared with Damon and the visions she had about him. That part wasn't necessarily needed for her aunt to understand what was going on. As she got to the part about the ring, she tossed it to Jenna, letting her see it. When she started telling the older woman about the lack of intimacy and the reasons behind it.

After Elena finished explaining everything, Jenna reached forward and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I think you're doing the right thing. I know you love him and a part of you always will. He's your first, nothing can change that. But if you don't feel close to him like you used to, then you have to let go."

"What if I'm just overreacting?"

Jenna shook her head slowly. "You and I both know you're not. I know he won't hurt you and I trust him, but if he can't control himself, then he's not ready. From what you've said about his past, he may not be ready for a very long time." Jenna stood up and handed the ring back to Elena, curling the brunette's fingers around the object. "But ultimately it's up to you," she added and ruffled Elena's hair.

"Thanks Jenna," she said as her aunt left the room.

After a few more minutes of trying to make a decision, Elena got to her feet. She placed the ring back in the drawer of her nightstand, forced her thoughts to take a back seat, and headed downstairs to grab her purse. Once on the road, she turned up the radio to prevent herself from thinking as she drove as fast as she could to the boarding house. She was going to be as upbeat as she could be because she knew Caroline would be on her if she didn't, and the moment she had the chance to go home, she was going to take it.

At the boarding house, she stood awkwardly at the front door. She wasn't sure if she should just walk in or knock. The decision was made for her when Stefan opened it and gave her a light smile. "I was thinking you might not show up."

"And face the wrath of Caroline?" she teased.

He smirked and stepped out onto the porch after looking over his shoulder. He shut the door and leaned against it. "Can we talk?"

She nodded and leaned against the porch railing. "I don't want to say anything about us or where we are in our relationship, I just want to get through the day with my friends. Is that okay?"

He thought it over and nodded slowly. "So we'll talk about this later?"

"If you don't mind," she answered and then sighed. "We really do need to talk, but I don't want to spend the rest of the day with Caroline and Bonnie asking me what's wrong. I know things aren't all that good with us right now, but we can ignore it, can't we? Just for a few hours."

Stefan had no choice but to agree. She didn't want to talk about the incident and truth be told, neither did he. Especially since he had a sinking suspicion that he knew what she was going to say anyway. "Can I say something first?"

She hesitated before slowly nodding.

"I'm sorry about the other day. I shouldn't have said what I did and I certainly shouldn't have run out on you like that," he said, stepping forward until he was able to cup her face. "I never meant to make you feel unwanted."

"I know," she whispered and slipped away from his embrace.

Stefan watched her walk inside the boarding house until she was out of sight. He ran his fingers through his hair before slamming his fists into the railing. He ground his teeth against the slight pain from the slivers of wood that embedded themselves in his fingers. He had royally messed up and he knew it. It was going to take a lot of making up to do before he and Elena were back to normal. After his hand healed, he strode back inside and made his way to the backyard where everyone else was gathered.

Elena couldn't help but smile at the sight of all her friends gathered in one spot. Tyler, Matt, and Jeremy were around the grill trying to figure out how to work it while trying to to attract Caroline's attention. Elena looked over to the side to see Bonnie and Caroline setting up the table, giving Elena a pleading look. As Stefan joined her on the back porch, she kept her vision straight, but asked, "Since when did you get a grill?"

"Since Caroline demanded that I get one," he answered.

"Have you ever used one before?"

He nudged her and she turned to face him. "Of course I have," he said and extended his chin in the direction of the other boys. "From the looks of things, no one else has."

Elena gave a little smile. "Then I suggest you better go help them before Caroline starts yelling," she said and made her way to her girl friends who were setting up a long table.

"Oh good, you made it," Caroline said in a flat voice, clearly not amused that Elena was a little later than they had planned.

"I had a little talk with Jenna," she answered although the blonde was no longer listening.

Caroline nodded and handed her a stack of plates. "Set these up," she demanded and moved onto the next thing.

"She's in boss mode right now. As soon as we set the table, she'll be fine," Bonnie whispered as Elena passed her.

Elena smirked and helped the other girls ready the table. Just as Bonnie predicted, Caroline went from being a tyrant to their best friend the moment they were done. "Alright, I'm going to check on the boys, you guys feel free to do whatever."

Bonnie and Elena took a seat and Bonnie noticed the dower mood Elena was in. "Want to talk about it?" she asked.

Elena looked at Stefan, pointed to her ears, and shook her head. Bonnie nodded and sat back in her seat. After a few minutes, Elena noticed her friend's eyes keep jumping to the group of that surrounded the grill. "You can go over there if you want."

"Only if you come with me," she said, standing up and extending her hand to the brunette.

"I'm gonna go use the bathroom. When I get back, I will be more like myself, I promise."

Bonnie nodded and patted her shoulder. Elena pushed herself up from the chair and slowly made her way up the porch. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw Stefan watching her. She offered him a small smile and mouthed the word "bathroom" knowing he had heard her earlier. He gave a small nod and Elena slipped into the mansion. She took her time getting to the main floor bathroom and then stood in front of the sink. Her hands gripped the edge of the counter as she stared at the mirror, trying to get back into the right frame of mind. Just after her eyes began to drift closed, she heard the sound of a bottle dropping followed by a loud, muffled burst of angry words coming from upstairs.

Elena hadn't even noticed that she had started walking until she started ascending the stairs. She heard some commotion come from Damon's room and he didn't sound like he was in such a good mood. And yet, Elena found herself knocking on his door. He opened it and she saw the shock that registered on his face. "What?" he asked darkly.

Her eyes traveled up and down his body. He was wearing a button down shirt that was open, revealing his chest and sweatpants low on his hips. She looked him up and down, studying him carefully. "You don't look so good," she said, noticing the dark circles under his eyes, the paleness of his skin, and the way his body looked slightly emaciated.

He leaned against the door with one hand raised above his head, a crooked smile on his face. "You're so good to me."

The scent of alcohol invaded her nostrils and it was all she could do not to cringe. "When was the last time you fed?"

He snorted and stepped away, tripping over himself as he turned and began moving back towards the bed. "Wouldn't you like to know," he muttered.

"Actually, I would," she answered, following him.

He turned towards her after grabbing the bottle of tequila from the nightstand. "Why do you care?"

"I may not like it, but you need blood to live Damon. You really don't look very good. Come downstairs with me."

"No."

"Damon," she started, folding her arms over her chest. "Will you please come downstairs with me and eat something? Then you can come outside and join the barbeque with us."

He took a few steps towards her and brushed his fingers over her jugular. "Are you offering?" he asked lewdly.

She pushed his hand away and stepped back. "Blood bags, Damon."

He sighed and took a long drink from the bottle before returning it to the nightstand. "You're not going to leave until I do, are you?"

She shook her head. "So will you come downstairs with me?"

He held her gaze and felt himself caving. It was impossible to say no to her. "Fine."

Elena relaxed and smiled at him. "You might want to change your clothes. It might help with the smell."

He smirked, "You just want to see me out of my clothes don't you?"

She shook her head, biting her lip to keep from smiling back at him. "Just get changed, will you?"

He nodded. "Wait here," he demanded and headed into the bathroom, taking fresh clothes with him.

While she waited, Elena looked around the room. It still felt familiar even though she had only been in here briefly the one time she had yelled at him for killing that woman. Elena shuddered at the thought. She moved to the bed and gently touched the sheets. An odd sensation rolled down her spine, causing goose bumps appear on her flesh. Her hand clenched around the sheet as the images of her and Damon began to dance in front of her. As they swirled around her like a distant memory, Elena sucked in her bottom lip; the familiar wetness pooling between her thighs.

This vision was more intense than the others. It was vivid and clear and it truly felt like a memory instead of a fantasy. Elena's entire body went still except for the slight tremble as she felt a warm body pressed against her back, molding to her own. She could feel hands on her hips, slowly going lower and lower until they rested on the waistband of her jeans.

_"Damon doesn't want me to continue...do you?" Katherine's velvety voiced purred in Elena's ear._

_ "Katherine-"_

_ "Elena's a big girl, she can make her own decisions. What do you say, Elena? Will you join us?" she asked._

_ Elena's gaze met Damon's and the look on his face spoke volumes. He was asking her to stay while telling her to at the same time. Elena swallowed and nodded briefly. "I'll stay."_

_ Katherine pressed her lips against the edge of Elena's jaw, just below her earlobe as her right hand dipped into her panties. Elena's breath caught in her throat as Katherine ran one slender finger through the folds of her nether regions. As Katherine's fingers continued to please her, Elena bit her bottom lip and partially closed her eyes, letting her body relax and use the woman behind her for support. With her free hand, Katherine reached out to Damon. She curled her fingers, using her index finger to beckon him forward. Elena watched through hooded eyes as he stalked across the room, stopping inches away from her._

_Elena lifted her hands until they were touching Damon's shirt. After a moment of hesitation, her fingers curled around the material and pulled him closer. One of his hands came up to cup the side of her face, tipping her head back slightly so he could watch her expressions. "Kiss her," Katherine demanded._

"Elena?" came Damon's voice, bringing her back to reality.

She whirled around despite the fact that her body was trembling. He was staring at her oddly, trying to figure out what was going on. "I..." she started, unable to think of something to say.

"Elena, what's wrong?" he asked, taking a few steps towards her.

She tensed up and fell backwards onto the bed as she tried to move away from him. He stopped, seeing the fear and confusion on her face and watched as she scrambled to her feet, moving as fast as she could towards the door. He could hear her heart racing and smell her arousal. It was very hard to ignore.

"Why does this keep happening?" she asked in a barely there whisper once she reached the doorway.

"Why does what keep happening?" he countered.

She shook her head and forced herself to take deep breaths. "I can't be around you right now."

"Elena-"

"Damon, please," she begged, holding out her hands in attempt to make him stop advancing on her. "I just...I need to..." Instead of trying to finish her sentences, she turned and headed back downstairs. Knowing that she would get an earful from Caroline, Elena fled the boarding house.

* * *

In the dead of night, she walked down the quiet street. It was a cool night for summertime, but she could feel the heat all the same. Her footsteps slowed to a stop outside of the familiar house. She looked up at the teenager's window and heard the sighs and moans of the sleeping girl inside. Swiftly, she made her way inside, knowing that the others in the house wouldn't hear a thing. She let herself into the restless girl's room and closed the door quietly behind her.

As she stood beside the bed, she watched the girl toss and turn, her body trembling. She reached up and gently traced the girl's exposed arm, her face pinched with concern at the revelation of fiery skin. Deciding it would be best to wake the girl from her nightmare, she sat on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on each side of the girl.

"Elena," she cooed, drawing the girl from a restless sleep.

Her eyes opened and she panted for air, trying to clear the sleep that was clouding her eyes. Once they focused, she blinked and real fear began to settle in. "K-Katherine?" Katherine smiled down at her doppelganger and nodded her head. She saw the girl's lips part to scream and glared down at her. "I will kill your family in the time it takes you to finish screaming," she vowed. When it was clear that she was going to remain silent, Katherine's anger faded and she smiled again.

Her hand reached up to lift the piece of jewelry that was clasped around Elena's neck. Even more fear radiated off of the human girl as Katherine used both hands to remove the chain, letting it dangle from her fingers as she watched Elena's eyes grow wide. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice shaky and timid.

Katherine's smile turned into a smirk as she reached up with her free hand and traced Elena's jaw. Elena's heart was racing, making Katherine lick her lips with want. Her eyes flashed for a moment before she pulled Elena into a sitting position. "There is something I want you to do for me," she said, watching as the human's eyes dilated, allowing Katherine to give her orders.


	16. Chapter 16

**a/n: so close!**

**So I've been thinking about a new story line for awhile now and I'd like to hear your opinions...what if Damon met Elena first? And the rest would follow from there :) Let me know what you think :)**

SIXTEEN

Elena woke to someone's hand on her shoulder. It caused her to jump, her heart racing in her chest. Once she realized it was only Stefan, she collapsed onto her back and took a moment to catch her breath. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you like that," he said, standing by the side of her bed, watching her calm down.

"It's okay," she breathed and took a last deep breath before sitting up, resting against her headboard. "What are you doing here?" she asked, having noticed it was still dark outside her window.

"Well, you didn't come back to the barbeque and you wouldn't answer your phone."

She groaned. "Caroline's going to kill me."

"Actually, she was more worried than angry when you didn't come back."

Elena inclined her head, "I'm sure I'll hear her angry side later. Sorry for running out on you guys like that. What are you doing here so early?" The question left her mouth before she even realized what she was saying.

He smiled sheepishly and gently sat at the foot of her bed, facing her. "I was worried about you, as I said. I don't know exactly where we stand, but I couldn't stay away from you any longer. Something must have happened, but the only thing I can think of was-"

She shook her head and met his gaze. "It wasn't Damon," she assured him, although she wasn't sure if that were the truth or not.

"Then what was it?"

She sighed and cleared her throat, trying to give herself enough time to think of something believable. "I was in the bathroom when I heard a loud noise from upstairs. Katherine has been on my mind the last few days, God knows why, and I panicked. I bolted for my car and started driving home. When I was halfway there, I started laughing at myself because I realized it was probably just Damon."

"Why didn't you come back?"

"I was embarrassed," she answered, and it was the truth to some degree.

He nodded and she could see a shadow of doubt wash over his features. In the end, he decided to believe her and moved to sit by her side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she placed her head on his chest. Her eyes closed as her arm draped over his waist. "She's gone," he assured her. "And if she comes back, I promise I won't let her hurt you."

"I know," she breathed.

He ran his fingers through her hair, glad that her breathing was regular again. "I'm glad you're okay," he said and moved to get up.

She tightened her hold around his waist and craned her neck to look at him. "Stay," she whispered. "Please?"

He studied her and nodded when he realized she was still feeling a little skittish about earlier. "I'll stay," he said and kicked off his shoes.

He slipped into the covers beside her and pulled her as close as possible. Her head was tucked under her chin as their limbs became entangled. "Thank you."

"Go back to sleep. I'll be here when you get up."

"Mmmm," she mumbled and nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck.

Stefan ran one hand up and down the length of her back in a soothing manner and in no time, she was asleep again. He was just glad that she wanted him to stay. Earlier, he had been afraid that he was losing her for good, but now, he wasn't so sure. One thing he was absolutely sure of was that this is where they belonged; wrapped up in each other's arms. With that thought in mind, Stefan closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with her.

* * *

When Elena woke again, she was surprised to see Stefan there. It took a moment for her to remember him having woken her up before sunrise to talk to her. She smiled at him and moved up to kiss his cheek. Whatever was going on between them, she was glad he was there. Even though it didn't change the inevitable. She managed to disentangle herself from him without waking him up. After gathering her clothes and phone, she made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

She sat on the closed toilet seat, waiting for her shower to heat up, and decided to check her messages. Surprisingly, there weren't as many messages from Caroline as she had expected. The last one was sent around ten the previous night and it read; _I'm coming over tomorrow around noon._ That was it, just a simple statement.

Elena decided it was best not to reply and just see Caroline when she arrived. It was either her friend coming over to talk or ream her out and in all honesty, Elena wasn't up to doing either. Regardless, the blonde was coming over and Elena needed to be prepared for whatever she had to say.

As she entered her bedroom a little while later, she saw Stefan lounging on her bed, reading a book. "Morning," she said as she sat next to him.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Not really," she answered as her stomach betrayed her with a growl. She smiled and shrugged. "I guess so."

"Come on, I'll make you something to eat."

"Um..."

He turned to look at her and grabbed her hand that was closest to him and linked their fingers. "I just want to spend the day with you. We can have our talk tomorrow."

Elena was silent for a long moment before nodding slowly. While she didn't really want to put it off any longer, she didn't exactly want to have the conversation either. "I think I can manage that."

"Good," he said and let go of her hand to get to his feet.

"Caroline's coming over at noon to talk to me. I don't know if she wants you listening in."

He nodded. "I'll take a shower when she gets here and I'll do everything not to eavesdrop."

"Thank you," she said and followed him downstairs.

Jenna was drinking a cup of coffee as she read the newspaper. Her eyes went wide at the sight of Stefan. "I wasn't aware that you were here."

"I showed up unannounced."

She smiled tightly at him. "I know that I can't exactly tell you no, but I'd appreciate it if you kept the sneaking in to a minimum." After the words left her lips, she grimaced. "Good God, did I really just say that?"

Elena nodded.

"Ugh, you know what, forget I said anything. Do what you want; it's not like you're doing anything I didn't do when I was you're age. I have a meeting to go to. I'll see you guys later," she said and rinsed her cup before sprinting out the door.

Stefan and Elena exchanged glances before he turned his attention to the contents in her fridge. "Any requests?"

"No."

He inclined his head and settled on something easy. After they had breakfast, she helped him clean up. Once they were done, they headed to the living room and just relaxed, choosing to spend time in companionable silence with the TV on. It wasn't until Caroline showed up that they spoke again. "I'll be upstairs," he said as he walked with her to the front door.

"I'll come up after she leaves," she said and waited until he was in her room before answering the door.

"Hey," Caroline said as she slid inside.

"Care, before you say anything, I want to apologize for running out on you yesterday. I know you worked really hard to make the barbeque happen and I'm really sorry that I bailed."

"It's okay. Bonnie said you're going through something and from what you've said about you and Stefan, I'm really surprised that you showed up at all."

Elena felt one of her brows arch. "You're not mad?"

"Not as much as I normally would be."

Elena watched as her friend's hard expression slowly softened into a smirk. "What?"

"I know what you can do to make it up to me."

"Anything. You name it," Elena said, eager to make up for her lousy behavior.

"You, Matt, Stefan, and I on a double date tonight. I already made the reservations at that little restaurant in Fell's Church. And I am not taking no for an answer."

Elena found herself nodding. "That's fair. As long as it doesn't end up like last time."

"Oh no, it will not end up like last time. It will be fun."

"Yes it will."

"Good. The reservations are at seven. Do you want to carpool or meet there?"

"We'll probably meet you two there."

"Perfect. We'll see you there and don't you dare be late," she said and pulled Elena into a brief hug.

"I won't," she promised and then waved the blonde goodbye. With that, she went upstairs to fill Stefan in on their plans for the evening.

* * *

The rest of the day had been a pleasant one. Stefan and Elena had spent the entire day with each other and it was just like old times. For the first time in a long time, it was easy being with him again. It gave Elena the tiniest bit of hope. That maybe they still had a chance to make their relationship work. The double date had also gone well, the four of them had been laughing and engrossed in conversation after conversation. By the time they had started driving back into town, it was well past midnight. "Want to stay at the boarding house?" Stefan asked as Elena neared Mystic Falls.

She thought about it and then nodded. "Sure."

He beamed at her from the passenger seat and placed his hand in hers. "When we get there, I'm going to go feed, is that okay?" he asked.

She nodded again. "How long do you think you'll be?"

"Not long. I don't need much, just enough to get through the night until I can go on a proper hunt."

The rest of the car ride was silent; neither one of them speaking until they were upstairs in his room. "I'll wait for you to get back," she said as they stood at the foot of the bed, wrapped in each other's embrace.

"You don't have to. I know you're tired."

"I want to," she said and pressed her lips to his. "Go, before I make you stay," she added and gave him a playful shove to the door. Once he was gone, she laid back on the bed, trying to figure out a way to keep herself awake until he got back.

It wasn't long before she was completely bored. It didn't help that she could hear the creaks and groans of the house settling. It was eerie and she couldn't help but jump each time she heard a noise. After a good twenty minutes, she the sound of glass shattering filled her ears, shortly followed by the sound of Damon's voice, cursing loudly. It was like déjà vu all over again. She hadn't realized that she was moving until she found herself standing outside his door. Her hand was poised in the air with the intention of knocking.

Just as she was about to do just that, the door swung open. Damon looked her up and down, taking in the sight of her in her knee-length dress with an asymmetrical neck line. It was turquoise blue on the top, slowly changing to white at the end of the gown. She had paired it with grey boots that went a few inches past her ankle and of course her vervain locket. Her hair had been styled away from her face, with the ends twisted into soft curls. She looked delectable and it made him ache.

"What can I do for you, Elena?" he asked, keeping his voice low, his eyes flickering to her hand that was still raised in the air.

His eyes went wide as she lunged at him. Her hand grabbing a fist full of his shirt, pulling her to him at the same time her body hit his and pushed them both into his room. Her free hand rose to cup the back of his head and pulled it down so she could press his lips to hers. Damon responded, unable to stop himself. He placed his hands on her hips and hoisted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and let her fingers sink into his hair. He moved towards the door, kicked it closed, and roughly pressed her back against it. The action caused her to groan, parting her lips to initiate the kiss in the process.

Her mind was yelling at her to break the kiss and go back to Stefan's room. She knew it was wrong to have come here in the first place. _Kissing _him was going against everything Elena stood for. And yet, she couldn't stop. Her body was reacting to his touches and the way his tongue danced with hers. It was just as good as the kisses she had been experiencing in the visions. Better, actually. He would give her the release that she yearned for; the release Stefan had been denying her.

She moaned as Damon slid his hands up the skirt of her dress, gliding up the bare skin of her thighs. She moved her hands down, reaching between them to fumble with the fly of his jeans. That made Damon pull his head back, surprised at the disappointment in Elena's eyes. "Elena-"

"Don't stop," she panted, moving her fingers through his hair, trying to coax him into another kiss.

Damon felt himself harden at her words and the breathy sound of her voice. It was more than he could stand and he found it impossible to pull away. He felt a bit of hope rising to the surface of his buried emotions, maybe she did remember and she had come to terms with her feelings about him. Damon knew that it was highly unlikely and a small part of him considered this taking advantage of her, but he was too aroused to care. She had come to _him_. He lowered his lips to hers again, delighted in the way her fingers dug into his arms to hold him in place.

Elena let her hands slide down until they reached the waistband of his jeans in the small space between their bodies. He groaned into her mouth as she undid the fly and dipped her hand into the opening. He nearly lost it as her soft fingers curled around him. He kissed her harder and added more pressure to his fingers that were holding her hips. She stroked him expertly, alternating between squeezing hard and just barely touching him. He broke the kiss and trailed his lips to her neck, enjoying the moans that were coming from her.

"Elena," he breathed raggedly as his hips bucked towards her all on their own. He was close and he could see she had no intention of stopping.

"I want you," she whispered. Her voice was soft and quiet and Damon wasn't quite sure if he had heard it or imagined it. Either way, he clamped his mouth shut and buried his face in the crook of her neck as he came for her.

Elena continued to stroke him until he pulled her hands away. She looked up at the same time he lifted his head from her neck and smirked at him. "Elena-" he started and pulled his head back at the sound of his brother's voice. "Stefan's looking for you."

Something happened to Elena at the mention of the younger Salvatore's name. The passion in her eyes vanished and the look on her face was one of pure panic. She shoved Damon back and unhooked her legs, sliding them down to the floor. "I have to go," she said before running from his room.

Damon stared after her, stunned by the sudden change in her mood. Something about this entire scenario seemed a bit off. He poked his head around the door frame and listened to her brief conversation with Stefan.

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked as he found Elena opening the front door, her purse in hand.

"I have to go," she repeated.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"I have to go," she repeated again and shut the door behind her.

Damon returned to his room, in need of a shower. As he undressed, he couldn't help but think about how off Elena's voice had sounded. She'd repeated the same line in the same flat, emotionless tone. It reeked of compulsion, but Katherine was gone...wasn't she? She had already done enough damage, he was fairly certain she wouldn't be the culprit. There was only one way to find out what had caused Elena's behavior and that was to go to her later when they wouldn't be interrupted. With that, Damon stepped under the gentle spray of water, a sly smile tugging at his lips.


	17. Chapter 17

**a/n: so I know a lot of you are patiently waiting for Stelena to end things so we can move on to Delena; thank you for sticking with me. It's coming up in the next chapter or two. I also want to point out that I know Elena keeps flip flopping between being in and out of love with Stefan, but I was writing this, thinking she just doesn't want to let go. She went through a lot with him by her side and while she wants to end things, she's having a hard time with it. And then we get to Delena...This is only the halfway point in this story. Right now, Elena is falling for him on her own and the rest will follow. Hopefully that helps some of you understand where I'm coming from :)**

**And One Kiss ch 18 will be up tomorrow. :)**

SEVENTEEN

Elena flung open her bedroom door and stopped in her tracks at the sight of Katherine lounging on her bed. Her lips parted with the intention to scream, but the vampire spoke first. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Elena hesitated, watching Katherine intently trying to figure out her next move. She pressed her lips into a hard line and closed the door softly behind her. "What do you want? I was told that you left town."

"As far as the Salvatores are concerned, I did." Katherine got to her feet and smirked at Elena. As she took a step closer, she tilted her head and frowned, her eyes narrowing at the human before her. "I see that Damon didn't take care of you."

Elena's eyes went wide and she took a step back. "I don't-"

"I specifically told you to let Damon have his way with you."

"What?"

Katherine smiled again. "The beauty of compulsion," she mumbled. "I guess Stefan's name came up faster than I thought it would," she added with a sigh. "Oh well, I guess I can change things up a bit."

"What are you talking about Katherine."

In a flash, the vampire was across the room, pinning Elena between her and the door. "I could tell you all about my diabolical plan, but you won't remember anyway so I won't waste my breath."

Katherine brought up one of her hands and lifted the necklace, curling her fingers around the pendant. Elena's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as she realized what her doppelganger was up to. "No, please don't," she whispered, trying everything she could to throw Katherine off of her.

With one swift tug, Katherine pulled the necklace from Elena and tossed it onto the bed. Elena knew she should shut her eyes and fight like hell, but the reality was that all efforts would be unnecessary. "Good girl," Katherine praised and cupped her jaw.

"Why are you doing this?"

Katherine gave a small smile and Elena saw the sadness in her eyes. She wasn't sure if it was faked or not, but the emotion was there. "I'm doing this to teach the Salvatores a lesson. They thought they could replace me and I'm here to remind them that they thought wrong."

"But-"

"Sh," Katherine whispered, the cruel, mischievous look back in her eyes as she placed her hand over Elena's mouth. "You're going to forget what happened with Damon. You never went up to his room and you never touched him." Elena nodded and Katherine continued. "You're going to invite Stefan over to take care of you as he should have done every time you asked him to."

"Stefan," Elena mumbled around Katherine's fingers.

The vampire's eyes sparkled with glee as she added the last part of her compulsion. "In the heat of the moment, you're going to call out for Damon."

Elena blinked a few times as the compulsion settled in. Katherine removed her hand from over Elena's mouth and moved it to cup the side of her face. "I understand," she said in a monotone voice.

Katherine inclined her head and ran the pad of her thumb over Elena's bottom lip. "Although I can see why they both want you, you really were fantastic in bed."

Elena's eyes went wide as Katherine pulled away and picked up the necklace she had discarded. Elena just stood there, staring at the vampire as she sauntered back to the human. She didn't want to say anything about Katherine's comments, the thought of what she meant scared her almost to death.

Katherine returned to Elena and played with the ends of her hair. "This is going to be so much fun." Elena nodded absently and felt her gaze connect with Katherine's again. "I was never here," she said, using her compulsion before fastening the necklace around Elena's throat. She leaned in and pressed her lips briefly to Elena's before taking off through the window. She would be back soon enough to finish what she started.

Elena blinked, trying to remember why she was in her room. She raised a hand to her lips and furrowed her brows, not liking the blank state of her mind. Her hand moved down to her necklace and she sighed with relief. It was then that she remembered how she had run from the boarding house the double date had gone well and Stefan had only been gone for twenty minutes. All she remembered was running away, telling him she had to leave, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember why.

Elena was pulled from her thoughts at the sight of Stefan climbing through the window. "Elena? What was that back there? Did something happen with Damon?"

He noticed the blank look in her eyes at the mention of his brother's name. "No."

He felt the anger rise to the surface as she answered in the same flat, emotionless tone she had used in the boarding house. He had heard that tone too many times in his extended life to know exactly what had happened. "Elena-"

"I'm sorry for running out like I did. It's just hard being there after..." she stopped and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry."

He stepped forward and gathered her into his arms. "It's okay, Elena. Everything's going to be alright," he whispered as they sat on her bed, using the headboard as a backrest. He drew Elena into his lap and placed his arms around her so that she could lean back against him. She turned her head to rest it on his shoulder and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

They sat like that for the longest time, just enjoying each other's company in the silence of the house. Stefan's thumb was lazily drawing patterns on her hip while his other arm rested on the top of her thighs that were stretched out across his lap. Elena sighed and snuggled closer, moving her face to press it into the crook of his neck. When he didn't react, she pressed her lips against his throat and repeated the action until he could no longer ignore her.

"Elena," he breathed, pulling away from her as best he could.

"No one's awake," she assured him, her breath tickling his skin.

"But-"

She jerked her head back and looked at him with anger. "Is there a reason you won't sleep with me?"

"No-"

"No?" she interrupted, getting to her feet. "I want to be with you Stefan, but it's like every time I try, you push me away or excuse yourself to go hunting. I get that your hunger is hard to control during sex and I try my best to respect that. I know that you've got a lot of experience in this department, but this is all new to me. I want to physically express my love for you and I can't help but feel like you don't want that." She stopped and looked down, not wanting him to see the tears gathering in her eyes. "Like you don't want me," she added in a whisper. She knew all of this stuff had been said, but it was how she felt and she needed him to understand and meet her halfway if their relationship was going to work.

He stood up. They had been together only a few times and even then he knew he hadn't been very fair to her. He didn't want to hurt her, but his cautiousness had left her feeling unwanted. "It's true, it's incredibly hard to keep myself in check when we're together and I don't want to hurt you Elena."

"I'm not made of porcelain, Stefan," she said tersely, making his eyes widen a bit more.

"What are you saying?" he asked cautiously, wanting her to say it.

She moved closer and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I don't want you to hold back when we're together."

He stiffened at that. "I'm not going to bite you Elena."

She shook her head and smiled playfully. "I didn't say you had to bite me, I just don't want you to hold back." She moved closer and placed her lips against his ear. "I want you," she repeated for the umpteenth time.

This time, he got the message loud and clear. He reached out and lifted her up and laid her down on the bed before lying on top of her. He smiled down at her, gently moving the hair off of her face. "I love you," he breathed.

"I love you too," she returned and let her eyes close as his lips descended onto hers.

* * *

For the rest of the night, Damon restlessly paced his room. His mind was completely focused on the incident with Elena. As much as he forced himself to believe that her memory hadn't returned, he couldn't drive away the bit of hope that it had. It wasn't until Stefan had left to go after her that Damon left his room. It was time to confront Elena. The thought left him feeling strange, but in a good way. He reigned in his emotions, not wanting to get ahead of himself.

He decided to take the long way to her house which meant walking instead of zipping over with his enhanced speed. He knew his chances of Stefan being there when he arrived were fifty-fifty, but he was prepared to wait. He had to confront her and it had to be tonight while the incident was still fresh in both of their minds. Damon found himself humming as his mind went over all the dirty, best case scenarios that would come about from his upcoming chat with Elena. He refused to think anything negative because he knew he couldn't take it. He was done thinking the worst when it came to their relationship. Elena was his. He had already claimed her once, all he needed was for her to remember.

He stopped in his tracks once he reached the edge of her property. A smirk tugged at his lips as the sound of her moans drifted through the air from her open window. He took a step forward, wanting to see the look on her face as she dreamed of him again, only to be stopped again at the sound of his brother's groan of pleasure. It felt as if someone had sucked the air out of lungs and knocked him over the head with a cast iron skillet. Of all the scenarios, good and bad, that had been running through his mind, _this_ was not one of them.

Like the masochist that he was, he couldn't seem to find the motivation to leave. Instead, he stayed and listened with a sick fascination as Elena gave herself to his little brother. He stared at the ground with disgust as her moans became louder and more frequent. As he heard her whisper encouragement, Damon's jaw clenched with anger. He had to remind himself that Elena wasn't his after all.

Finally, Damon found the strength to move. As he turned around to head back to the boarding house, his ears perked up and he went still, stopping dead in his tracks. Elena's voice carried loud and clear to his enhanced hearing and it made him rethink everything all over again.

* * *

"Damon!" she screamed as Stefan gave one final thrust, sending her into oblivion.

The moment _that_ name left her lips, her hands rose to her mouth as her eyes widened with horror. Stefan stilled immediately and stared down at Elena with disbelief. He could feel the various emotions coursing through his body. Unsure of his ability to keep his anger under control, he pulled away from her and got to his feet, scrounging around for his discarded clothes.

Elena sat up and held the sheet close to her body, unable to hold back the tears of humiliation from spilling down her cheeks. "I didn't...Stefan, I'm..." her voice was shaking to the point where she couldn't even form an apology.

Stefan ignored her sobs as he dressed. He stood with his back to her and ran his hand through his hair. He took a deep breath and turned to face her. In the time it took her to blink, he was in front of her, his face inches from hers. "I need to know Elena, did anything happen earlier with Damon?"

"No!" she answered quickly, trying desperately to get him to believe her. Stefan looked her straight in the eye and Elena's heart skipped a beat the moment she realized he didn't believe her. "Stefan, I-"

Stefan cut her off by leaning to her hear and whispered, "I don't believe you."

"Stefan, please!" she begged, but he was already gone.


	18. Chapter 18

EIGHTEEN

Elena had spent the rest of the night pacing in front of her bed. Her body was still trembling, her face still stained with tears. She had managed to pull on clothes but she knew she looked like a mess. She had tried calling Stefan, but he was ignoring her. After an hour or so, his phone went straight to voicemail. It hurt, knowing that she had hurt him, but it was an honest mistake. She had no explanation for what she did and she could only hope that he could forgive her.

Once the sunlight began to stream through her window, Elena decided she had waited long enough. It was obvious he wasn't going to come back here to talk so she was going to go to him. Grabbing her things, she hurried downstairs and began driving like a madwoman to the boarding house. As always, she entered without knocking. Instead of treading carefully through the foyer, she ran as fast as she could, hoping to get there before he had the chance to take off.

As she got to the stairs, she ran right into Damon, the force of the collision nearly knocking her off her feet. Damon's hands gripped her biceps, steadying her so that she wouldn't fall. "Woah," he said, keeping her there even as she tried to continue her way up to Stefan's room.

"I need to see Stefan," she said, not wanting to look at Damon.

"He's not here. I haven't seen him since he went after you last night."

Elena stopped struggling and felt the adrenaline leave her body. Damon picked her up and carried her to the couch before moving away from her. He studied her, taking note of how messed up she looked. She sat on the edge of the couch and buried her head in her hands. The sound of her sobs filled his ears and he felt lost.

"He hates me."

"No he doesn't," Damon said automatically.

Her head shot up and she glared at him. "This is all your fault!" she yelled as she got to her feet.

"My fault? You're the one that came to _my_ room and initiated everything."

Her face went blank, the anger fading rapidly as she looked at him. "What?"

"Oh don't pretend like you don't remember," he scoffed and took a step closer.

"Damon..." she breathed, her eyes gathering with a fresh round of tears. "What are you talking about?"

"Last night Stefan went out for a little hunt. You found yourself a little bored and wandered across the hall. I opened my door and you pounced on me. You're the one that started it. Don't blame me for this."

Her entire body tensed and she shook her head slowly at first, getting more and more rapid. "No. Stefan had gone out for a hunt and I decided to leave. I went home and he had followed me, wanting to know what was wrong."

Damon studied her again, completely dumbfounded by her fear. Her body trembled as she continued to shake her head. Anger and rage began to consume him as he realized she was telling the truth. She really didn't remember coming to him a few hours ago. That only meant one thing; Katherine was back and she was playing her games. Damon ground his teeth and slowly approached the human girl, seeing as that she was about to crumble to the floor. He gathered her into his arms, knowing that her lack of protest came from her exhaustion both mental and physical.

"It's okay, Elena," he said as she stroked her back soothingly.

She relaxed a tiny bit, but her arms remained glued to her side. Her silent tears soaked his shirt as he continued to hold her. "What's wrong with me?" she asked, mumbling into his shirt.

"There's nothing wrong with you."

"You don't even know what happened," she said as she pulled away from him and put some distance between them.

"Tell me," he urged, forcing himself to stay put.

Her head shook as she looked down. After a few moments, she felt her anger returning and met his gaze again. "Like I said, this is all your fault."

"Elena-"

"No, don't try and tell me otherwise. You're the one that keeps kissing me and making me feel things that I shouldn't when I'm around you. I'm sorry that Katherine broke your heart and toyed around with both of you, but you need to stop using me to get back at Stefan. I'm not her."

Damon found himself shaking his head at that, his eyes pleading with her to understand as he tried to explain. "This has nothing to do with getting back at Stefan. Elena, I-"

"Stop," she pleaded softly, holding out her hands. "Just stop."

"Elena-" he started again, feeling like a broken record having said her name so many times.

"I don't want to hear it. As a matter of fact, I don't want to hear from you or see you for awhile, if ever." Even as she slowly turned her back to him, she could see the raw pain in his eyes. As she made her way to Stefan's room, she got a sinking feeling in her gut that she had made the wrong decision.

Damon watched her half walk, half run up the stairs only to slam Stefan's bedroom door shut behind her. Once she was gone, he picked up the nearest object to him and hurled it at the fireplace, watching as it shattered on impact. Elena didn't hate him on her own, there was someone causing her pain. There was no doubt in his mind that Katherine was behind this somehow and it meant that she was in town. After reining in his rage, he began walking towards the front door. If Katherine was in town, he was going to find her and he was going to make her pay for what she had done.

* * *

Stefan sat in a tree outside of his window. It was dark outside, indicating that he had been gone for almost twenty-four hours. He could see Elena pacing restlessly around his room. He had been watching her for a few hours now. He had come back to see her waking up from a nap, wrapped up tightly in his blankets with her face buried in his pillow. Since then she had alternated between sitting and pacing the room. As she tried calling him for the umpteenth time, he decided to go in and have the discussion he had been dreading all day.

The moment he entered the bedroom, she stopped in her tracks and looked at him with disbelief. Afraid that it was all in her head, she refused to speak until he did. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long.

"Have you been here all day?" he asked although he knew the answer.

"We need to talk. You need to let me explain."

He inclined his head and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm listening."

"I don't know why I said his name, but I did. I know nothing will change that and I'm deeply sorry, but I promise I wasn't thinking of him. I wanted to be with you; I want to be with you." She paused to take a deep breath and then rushed on. "I am _not _Katherine and I would never betray you like she did. I'm not doing anything with Damon behind your back."

He shook his head and removed his hands to run them through his hair. "This was never about me thinking you were doing anything with Damon. You calling out his name was just the final straw. Let's face it, Elena, we were going to break up anyway, this just makes it easier to do."

Elena took a step forward and then stopped herself. "Just like that, you're giving up?"

"I'm not giving up Elena. I know that's what you wanted to talk about and it's okay. I've come to terms with the fact that we were drifting apart and there was nothing either of us could do to stop it. And I'm not a fool, Elena. There is something between you and Damon. It may not be physical, but it is there."

She shook her head even though he was right. "Where are you getting this from?"

"I could see it even before Katherine came into town, but when she left, things changed. I see the tension between the two of you every time you're in the same room together. I know for a fact that you didn't run away from the barbeque because you heard a noise. You were talking to Damon and something happened. If you tell me what's been going on with you, I might be able to forget about all of this."

Elena bit her lip. If she kept it to herself, she would lose him. If she told him the truth, she would lose him. Either way, Elena knew it was over and there was nothing she could do about it. Taking a shaky breath, she gave in and told him the story from the beginning. She included everything from the stolen kisses to the dreams. She watched as his jaw clenched so tightly she thought the bone would shatter. When she was done, she waited for him to say something; anything.

"I thought you said nothing was going on between the two of you?" he asked, a bitter, angry tone in his voice.

"There is nothing."

"You kissed. Twice."

"And both times I stopped him and told him not to do it again."

"What if Matt hadn't called?" he challenged.

"I wouldn't have gone any farther."

"Because you were in public?" he countered.

Elena's jaw dropped at the unexpected slander. "Stefan, it was just a kiss!"

"If it was just a kiss, why didn't you say something then? Why didn't you tell me about the dreams and the visions? I could have helped you, Elena, but instead you kept it to yourself. The only reason I can think of that explains why you wouldn't tell me about it is that you didn't want it to stop."

Elena's head shook from side to side. "That's not-"

"Where's your ring?" he asked, his eyes dropping to her hand.

Elena looked down, her other hand reaching out to touch her finger. It was still in the drawer of her nightstand. She looked back up at him, unable to come up with an explanation that he would believe. Either way, anything she told him would have been a lie.

"You never even wore it did you?"

"I-" she started, but stopped when she realized she was about to lie. Slowly, she shook her head, eyes pooling with fresh tears. "No."

"Why did you even bother accepting it? If you didn't want what it symbolized, why did you even take it? You could have said no and I would have understood. It was a lot to agree to, but I would have rather had an honest no than a yes that was only a lie."

"I wanted to say yes. I wanted to _want_ a life with you, but I'm not ready."

Stefan hung his head, his hand going to the back of his neck as he stared at the floor. It was hard to look at her, knowing that all this time, she had been imagining what it would be like to be with his brother. That explained the other day when he had used his vampire speed and it only turned her on more. He shook his head in disgust and forced himself to look at her again. It was silent for a long time as they stared at each other.

Elena wiped at her eyes, relieved that the tears had finally ceased to flow. She had cried an ocean of tears and was glad that there was no moisture left in her body to cry out. "So where do we go from here?" she asked softly, breaking the silence that had enveloped them.

"I think it would be best if we parted ways," he answered lightly, the thought nearly tearing him in two. Ideally, he would have liked to work it out, but he couldn't be in another triangle with his brother. It had destroyed him the first time around and he wasn't willing to let history repeat itself.

Elena felt herself nodding as her eyes fluttered. Just like that, it was over. A year's worth of investment was unraveling before her eyes and slipping through her fingers. "So we're over," she stated.

"We're over," he confirmed. She inclined her head and reached up to undo the clasp on her necklace. "Keep it," he said as she moved forward to hand it to him, but he refused to take it.

When it was clear that he wasn't going to take the necklace, Elena walked to the bed and set it down on the comforter along with the ring she had pulled out of her pocket. After tearing her eyes away from it, she began walking to the door. She stopped at his side and looked at him. "For what it's worth, I'll always love you," she whispered and continued walking out of his room without stopping or looking back.


	19. Chapter 19

**a/n: Elena was supposed to have the ring with her and leave it with the necklace on Stefan's bed. Sorry if that confused anyone :)**

NINETEEN

Elena opened her eyes to the sight of Caroline's sleeping face. Elena felt her eyes narrow in confusion until the drowsiness cleared away and she was able to remember the past few days. Today marked the fourth day since the break up. For the first two days, it had only been Jenna coming in to check on her. After Elena told her about the break up, Jenna called Caroline and Bonnie and the two had been there ever since. They tried their best to cheer their friend up, but nothing worked. Elena only said that she and Stefan were no longer together, but refused to say anything more.

During the time that Elena had been sleeping, Bonnie had chosen to fill Caroline in on everything, telling her about vampires and what Damon had done to the blonde in the process. It was easier than lying to her and keeping her in the dark. Caroline had processed it all and accepted the explanation deciding not to dwell on it much. Elena's pain was more important than the supernatural creatures that roamed the town.

Elena slowly rolled to lie on her back, surprised that she didn't run into Bonnie. She looked around the room and found a note on the nightstand, tucked underneath a fresh glass of tea, meaning Bonnie hadn't left that long ago. _Dad wanted me home. I'll come back over later, -B._

After reading the note, Elena set it back on top of the nightstand and pushed herself into a sitting position. She then reached for the tea and drank deeply. Since the first day when Jenna noticed she wasn't wearing her necklace anymore, she insisted that she ingest it somehow. It made sense and Elena was grateful that she had come clean with her aunt about everything.

By the time Elena had finished her tea, Caroline had woken up. "Hey," she said, smiling softly at the brunette.

"Morning."

"How are you feeling?" she asked, pulling herself into the same sitting position as Elena.

"Same," she answered.

Caroline sighed, she was tired of getting one word answers. "Look, I know that breaking up isn't easy and I get that he was your first love, but come on, Elena. Snap out of it."

"Caroline-"

"No," she said, shaking her tousled hair and glaring at her friend. "Today, you are cleaning yourself up and we are going out. Don't even try to fight me because I will have Bonnie and Jenna help me throw you in the shower if I have to."

"I don't want to go anywhere."

"Well, that's too bad."

Elena shook her head even though she knew Caroline was more strong willed than she was. The blonde _was _used to getting her way. "Caroline..."

"It's been four days. Four _whole _days. If I thought it would help, I would bring a suitcase full of clothes and move in with you until I thought you were ready, but it won't. And you know it." As Elena's lips parted to protest, Caroline rushed on. "I'm not talking about going out and fixing you up on a date. I'm saying let's just get out of the house. Throw something else on other than pajamas and get some fresh air. Shopping? A movie? A walk in the park? Pick something, but I'm not letting you spend another day in bed."

Elena sighed. It was useless to argue with Caroline. The look on her face told Elena that Caroline was prepared to call every single one of their friends to drag her outside if it came down to it. Giving in, she nodded.

"Good," Caroline said smugly and got to her feet. "I'm gonna go home for a little bit and then I will be back around lunch time with Bonnie. I'll call you half an hour before I leave my house, okay?"

"Okay," Elena muttered and watched as her friend waved before leaving her alone.

Elena looked at the clock; it was only nine-thirty. She sighed heavily and decided to take a shower and get it over with. She took longer than usual, getting out only because there was no more hot water. Elena wrapped herself in an oversized towel and made her way back into her bedroom. She sat on the side of her bed and just stared off into space. The motivation that got her into the shower was gone when it came to getting dressed. All she wanted to do was crawl back into bed and forget about everything. However, the thought of ruining another of Caroline's plans didn't sound appealing. With another heavy sigh, Elena got to her feet and dressed for the day.

Elena looked around her room. When her eyes landed on her bed, she knew she had to leave otherwise it was back under the covers she went. She found Jenna in the kitchen, sitting at the island with a cup of coffee and the newspaper; her daily ritual. "Hey," she greeted her niece in a strange tone, surprised that she was showered, dressed, and out of her room. "Want something to eat? I can make you toast."

Elena smirked as she sat on the barstool next to Jenna. "Sure, just don't burn it."

Jenna made a face and patted her back before getting up and getting the bread from the pantry. "So Bonnie and Caroline are both gone?"

"Bonnie left a note. I guess her dad wanted her home for a little bit. Caroline left a little bit ago. They'll be back later to take me out. Apparently I'm not allowed to wallow anymore."

Jenna nodded and went about preparing Elena's breakfast. "I know you probably aren't ready to talk about it yet, but I'm here for you."

Elena smiled lightly even though Jenna's back was turned to her. "I know."

Jenna turned around once the bread was in the toaster. "But I have to say, I'm really curious."

Elena nodded and rested her chin in her hand. "It's really embarrassing, Jenna," she answered, trying not to think about it as tears were already prickling her eyes. "But I will tell you eventually."

Jenna nodded and changed the subject, seeing that Elena was close to tears. "So what did Caroline plan for you guys to do?"

"I'm not sure. Probably the usual, shopping in Fell's Church."

"Sounds like fun."

"I'm sure it will be."

Jenna gave a tight smile and came around the island to wrap her arms around her niece. "I know it feels like the world is ending right now, but things will get better. I promise."

Elena returned the hug and forced herself not to cry. She remained silent, knowing that if she tried to speak, she would lose it and crumble. Luckily, the toast was done before she was able to break down. After she had eaten, Elena excused herself to get her phone. Right as she entered her room, it started to ring, Bonnie's name appeared across the display.

"Hey, you're up. I was expecting Caroline."

"Nope. She left. I thought she would have called you."

"I was out to breakfast with Dad. He has a business trip to take so he'll be gone all week. That's why he wanted me home. Hey, do you think you're up to coming over here? One of my relatives in Salem got back to me."

"Oh?"

"Just get here and I'll explain the rest. Gotta go say goodbye to Dad and then I'll set up," she said and hung up before Elena had the chance to reply.

Slowly, Elena made her way backdown stairs. "Um, so I guess I'm going to Bonnie's first. I'll see you later."

Jenna's brow rose at that. "You're okay to drive? You're not going to have a meltdown and crash you're car?"

Elena shook her head confidently. "Strangely enough, I already feel a bit more like myself," she answered truthfully as she grabbed her purse. "Bye Jenna."

"Have fun and be safe," Jenna called after her.

The entire drive to Bonnie's seemed longer than normal. As each second of silence passed, Elena found herself gripping the steering wheel tighter and tighter. She had taken the fact that her friends and Jenna had been constantly around her for granted. Even with the radio, she found it hard to ignore the scene that played out in her head. She could hear the argument that led to their break up playing on a loop. By the time she arrived at Bonnie's she was grateful and eager to have someone there to drown out her thoughts.

As Elena approached the front door, she stopped and coughed as something acrid floated through the screen door, filling her lungs and leaving a bitter taste on her tongue. "Bonnie?" she called out, opening the door carefully.

"In the kitchen!" her friend shouted back.

Elena waved at the air before her, trying to move the grey cloud of smoke that blurred her vision. "What the hell is that?" she asked, coughing again as the smell intensified in the kitchen.

"I'll explain in a minute," she said, busy putting things in the pot on the stove. As Elena peered over the witch's shoulder, she could see that the pot was the source of the smoke and the smell.

"Please tell me that's not what you dragged me over here for."

Bonnie turned her head and offered a weary grin. "Just go upstairs to my room. I'll be up there shortly."

Elena stared at the contents of the pot for a moment before turning away and heading upstairs. The sight of Bonnie's room made her slow down and stop in the doorway, her eyes jumping around the interior. There was a candle at each corner of the bed, the grimoire open to a certain page lying on the pillows. Whatever Bonnie was planning to do was going to require some serious magick. Elena only hoped that her friend was up to it and that she had the strength to pull it off.

It wasn't long before Bonnie joined her in the room, carrying two steaming cups of what Elena could only assume was the stuff she had seen in the pot. "I am _not _drinking that," she said as Bonnie set the cups down on the nightstand closest to her.

She offered the brunette a smile, but said nothing before taking the book and sitting down on the bed. She stretched and patted the covers. "Sit," she demanded.

"Bonnie..."

"Just sit," she repeated and gave her a stern look. Elena hesitated before sitting at the foot of the bed facing Bonnie. "This is the spell that my relative suggested. It's a potion. It's a mix of herbs, all of which are proven to improve mental health and help people remember," she said, setting the book in front of her before grabbing both cups. She handed Elena one of them and watched as her friend stared at the mixture.

Elena was surprised that the contents of the cup didn't look all that bad. She looked up at Bonnie again, her brows raised in question. "Drink this?"

She nodded. "You drink this while I chant a spell. When I'm done chanting, you drink another and then repeat the spell yourself."

"That's it?"

"That's it," she answered and skimmed the page for the spell. "I added some cider to it to make it taste better."

Elena wrinkled her nose, not liking the fact that the original mixture had to be covered up to begin with. "Here goes," she mumbled and raised the glass to her lips. The moment the liquid hit her tongue, Bonnie began chanting in the ancient language. Elena's eyes squeezed shut as she drank deeply, forcing herself to chug it down despite the fact that she wasn't thirsty. When she was done, she took a few deep breaths and licked her lips, waiting for Bonnie to finish chanting. "Not bad," she said, commenting on the taste.

"Good," Bonnie said, replacing the empty glass with the full one.

"Does it have to be now? I don't think I can drink anymore."

Bonnie did another quick skim of the page and shook her head. "No, but you should say the spell. I can put the potion in a water bottle for later."

Elena nodded and looked at the grimoire upside down. "Is there an English version?"

Bonnie smirked, "No, but it's not that hard." After simple instructions, Elena was able to say the spell on her own.

"Now what?"

"Now you help me clean up while we wait for Caroline," she answered and smiled brightly before they both got to their feet, blowing out candles in the process.

* * *

By the time the trio sat down to dinner at the Grill, Elena was laughing for the first time in four days. Caroline and Bonnie had done an amazing job of keeping her mind off of the break up and getting her back into normal life. Elena was grateful for her friends. When dinner was over, they both offered to stay the night again, but Elena declined. "I think I'll be okay," she explained as they walked back to the car.

"You sure?"

She nodded. "You two have been the best friends anyone could ask for. Caroline, as much as I resented you this morning, I'm very happy that you forced me out of bed and made me go out. I did need it and it did help."

Caroline tossed her hair and smiled arrogantly. "I'm always right. The sooner you two realize that, the better."

They laughed and did a group hug. "Come on, you're car's at my house," Bonnie said, opening her car to drive both of them back to their cars.

Caroline had promised to go visit Matt, making her leave the moment she got to Bonnie's, promising that she would drop everything if Elena needed her to. "Thanks, Care," she said before waving the blonde girl off.

Once she was gone, Bonnie handed the water bottle filled with the potion to Elena. "Drink up," she said.

Elena sighed and undid the cap, not sure how it was going to taste after sitting in a bottle all day. Once again, Bonnie began chanting as Elena gulped it down, trying to ignore the strange taste. When she was done, she repeated the spell as best she could and handed the bottle back to Bonnie. "Much better fresh," she commented, wiping her tongue on the sleeve of her shirt.

Bonnie shrugged, "You're the one that wanted to wait," she reminded the brunette.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, thanks for everything, but I should probably get home too. Jenna's going to want to know how today was," she said before drawing Bonnie into a light hug. With that, Elena headed to her car and pulled away from the curb.

Instead of speeding home, Elena took her time, somewhat dreading the idea of being alone. As she slowed to a stop in front of a stop sign, the visions of her and Damon started up again. Only this time, they felt like real memories. Elena went rigid, gripping the steering wheel so tightly she heard the material groan. She took deep, labored breaths as the scene played out in her mind from beginning to end.

She had woken in Stefan's room all by herself. She wanted to explore the boarding house. Damon's door was open. She went inside. She heard him and Katherine coming up the stairs. She dashed into the closet. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the two of them as they began to undress each other. The rack of shirts pulled away from the wall and she landed on top of them. Katherine approached her and led her out of the closet. The female vampire had propositioned her. She remembered the torn look in Damon's eyes as he begged her to and begged her to stay. She remembered saying yes. She remembered kissing him. She remembered sleeping with him.

She remembered everything.

All of this came rushing back to her in the time it took her blink. She could remember every touch, every thought; everything. With the memory of that night also came the memory of Katherine showing up and compelling her more than once in the past few days, but there was nothing she could do about it. Damon, on the other hand, she could confront although she had no idea what she would say. After making a split decision, Elena did a quick U-turn and drove as fast as she could to the boarding house.

Elena practically ran to the front door and burst into the mansion without bothering to knock. It had never been an issue before and she had bigger things to deal with. She had been prepared to run up the stairs, but stopped short at the sight of Damon staring at her with cold eyes from the foyer. "What do you want Elena?" his voice just as cold.

"We need to talk," she said, watching him drink the contents of glass before setting it on the cart and walking up the two steps.

"Really? Because I distinctly recall you telling me you wanted nothing to do with me," he quipped before continuing on to the stairs.

"I remember," she whispered.

Damon stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn to face her. He said nothing, just stood there, completely frozen mid-step.

"I remember everything."


	20. Chapter 20

**a/n: and here it is guys :) the chapter I made you wait for haha. I'm warning you now, there's no smut in this chapter. I thought about it, but it didn't feel right to have them sleep together again right off the bat. But it will be sooner rather than later :)**

TWENTY

Damon remained frozen for what seemed like forever, completely paralyzed by her words. Elena stared at him, not sure what to do next. Judging from his statuesque form, she knew he understood perfectly well what it was that she remembered. Her heart began to race as he ever so slowly turned to face her, his face devoid of emotion. He studied her as she stood before him. He had been dreaming of this day, that Elena would get her memories back, but he never thought of the confrontation. What if she had come here to tell him that it was a mistake and it couldn't happen again? That she had only done it because she knew Katherine would have forced her to stay?

"Everything?" The word came out as a question as he tried to keep his rising hope under control.

She inclined her head, her eyes never breaking contact with his. "Everything," she repeated in a breathy voice.

Damon continued to stare at her. He believed her, but he refused to accept it as fact until he heard it from her. Elena picked up on that and drew in a shaky breath.

"I had come over here because I couldn't sleep. Finally, I was able to do so in Stefan's room. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I was alone. I figured Stefan was just out feeding and I wasn't sure when he would be back. I wasn't tired anymore so I decided to explore the boarding house. I realized I had been here countless times but I've only seen a few rooms. I started in the hallway upstairs and came to your door. I knew it was your door and that it probably wasn't a good idea to go inside, but the door was open and curiosity got the best of me."

She took a moment to catch her breath and calm her nerves before she continued. "I've always imagined what your room would be like. I had this idea in my head that it would be nothing but black, like a Goth or something, but it was surprisingly normal. Expensive in taste, but normal. The bed drew my attention first. I was so intrigued by the design and the little cutouts that by the time I heard Katherine's voice, you guys were already halfway up the stairs. I didn't have enough time to get out without being seen, so I hid in the closet." She paused again as her cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

"Katherine was right, if I hadn't been caught, I probably would have kept watching. The two of you had so much lust that it was hard to look away. Believe me, I tried," she said, looking at the floor. "Then your flimsy closet had to give way. You have too many shirts," she chided and looked up briefly to see him smirking.

Damon decided to say something instead of letting her continue. "It's no secret that I want you. Yes, at first, it was to get back at Stefan, but that was only until I got to know you. After that, I really did want you and I still do. I'm so sorry that Katherine did that to you. I know that you have said no if it weren't for her. I'm even more sorry that she compelled you because the whole purpose of being with her was so that she wouldn't hurt you."

Elena shook her head and met his gaze again. "She didn't hurt me Damon and I didn't stay because she was intimidating. I know full well that if I said no, she would have compelled me to stay. I would rather have her compel me to forget than force either of us to do something that wasn't right. I stayed because I wanted to."

Damon's eyes narrowed a fraction. He had imagined her saying something like that for a very long time that it was hard to believe that it was real. He half expected to wake up at any moment. He started to shake his head and then saw her eyes harden and her body straighten.

"Part of me was watching the two of you because I couldn't look away. The other part was..."

"Was what?" he questioned as she looked down again.

"I was imagining that I was her," she whispered and let her eyes close. At the time, she had been completely in love with Stefan and yet, there she was in the closet, wanting nothing more than to trade places with Katherine. To be the one in Damon's arms.

Damon couldn't help but laugh inwardly at the irony. At the time, he had been imagining that Katherine was Elena as well. As Katherine had pointed out, it was the main reason he had sought her out. Part of it was about keeping her away from Elena by distracting her, but that was more of an afterthought.

"I remember the look you gave me when Katherine asked if I would join you," she said, breaking the silence that had enveloped them. "I remember your eyes pleading with me to stay while telling me to go." She paused and her head canted to the side as their gazes locked again. "I wasn't lying when I said I was attracted to you and I know we've been avoiding the issue between us. Ever since you kissed Katherine instead of me I kept finding myself thinking what it would have been like to kiss you. When Katherine asked to join, I realized I would be able to know." A soft smile graced her lips as she took a small step forward. "Part of me wants to hate her for putting us on the spot, but the other part of me is happy that she did."

Damon's eyes narrowed as he studied her again. One minute she had him thinking that she was going to be angry about it and never speak to him again and then she was smiling and making him think that she wanted to be with him. The not knowing was driving him crazy. Normally, he could read her like a book, but today, she was unpredictable and it made him extremely nervous.

"So what does this mean for us?"

She shook her head, "I don't know. I _just _ended things with Stefan and I don't know if I'm ready to be in another relationship so soon, but I don't want to miss out on something that could be really great."

Damon looked away this time. "I heard you say my name."

Elena's eyes went wide and then narrowed with anger. "What were you doing there?"

"I was coming to confront you about what had happened earlier," he said and looked at her again. "Do you remember what happened that night?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Why did you say that you didn't?"

Elena looked down again and shifted her weight. "Let's not talk about that right now."

"Elena-"

She shook her head, signaling that she had nothing more to say about the subject. "Let's figure out what to do about us first, okay?"

Damon knew who was responsible for her temporary amnesia, but he decided to let it drop. His lips parted to say something when he realized what she had said. His head tilted to the side and he squinted at her. "What about us?"

"Exactly what we have to figure out."

He stared at her, trying to push away the hope that was determined to break through his emotional block. "I thought you said you aren't really ready for another relationship?" he questioned.

"And I don't know if I am, but as I said earlier, I wasn't lying the other day. I do want you and the feelings I have are ones that I can't just walk away from and pretend they don't exist." Damon felt his face fall and his shoulders slumped. Elena picked up on that and shook her head, rushing on before he said anything. "I don't just want your body if that's what you're thinking. I don't want to simply recreate that night and move on. This has little to do with lust. I want you. All of you." As Elena said that, she straightened up and smiled freely at him. Whether it was moving too fast or not, she wanted to be with him.

"So, what, I'll just be your rebound until you get over Stefan?"

"I'll never be completely over him, but I know that what we had is gone and there's no way to get it back. It is what it is and I accept that."

He studied her, refusing to believe that the thing he wanted most in the world was his for the taking. "So you want a relationship?"

"Do you?" she challenged, her eyes hardening as she tried her best to keep her emotions covered.

That questioned required some thinking. He wanted Elena, but he didn't know how to be in a relationship. The last one he had been in involved a lot of sneaking around and sharing. Sure, there had been many, _many_ girls after Katherine, but they had all been one-night stands, meals-on-wheels; absolutely nothing important. Elena was different. She was everything to him and he didn't want to hurt her.

"I don't know," he answered and winced from the look of pain on her face.

"I see."

"I don't know how to be in one," he finished, hoping that she would understand.

Elena's lips formed an O and she cursed inwardly. She should have known that. "Oh."

"But I'm willing to try," the idea of losing her was almost as bad as the thought of hurting her.

Elena inclined her head and then held his gaze. "That could work."

"So what now?"

She continued to stare at him, getting lost in the depths of his piercing blue eyes. Instead of answering his question, she gave a demand. "Kiss me."

His eyes went wide in shock.

"Kiss me." She repeated and took a step closer to him.

He studied her for another moment and then closed the gap between them. Slowly, his hands rose to cup her face. Elena tilted her face upwards and moved closer until her body was flush with his. She placed her hands on his hips and waited anxiously as his lips descended and finally met hers. They both went still for a moment before they parted their lips at the same time and deepened the kiss.

Instantly, Elena tightened her grip on him and pulled him closer. Elena's eyes were closed as their lips moved as one. His hand held her head in place, tipping her ever so slightly to get the perfect angle. It had all the tenderness of a first kiss and only some of the awkwardness. There was passion, neither one of them could deny it, but they kept the kiss experimental.

It was only her need for air that made her break the kiss. They stood there, still in each other's arms while their foreheads rested against one another, their eyes still closed. Damon listened to her catch her breath, reveling in the way her heart fluttered ever so slightly. His hands slid down to her neck, his thumbs slightly brushing her jaw.

"Now what?" he repeated in a murmur.

Elena sighed and moved her head back to look at him. "I don't know," she answered, hating herself for not being able to make a decision. She could see the bit of pain in his eyes at her answer and it broke her heart. "Why don't we just agree to take it slow and go from there? We're sort of friends, maybe we should work on that and whatever happens, happens."

Damon mulled it over and then nodded. "I guess I could try that."

"Okay," she said and took a deep breath. "We're taking it slow."

He inclined his head and smirked at her. "Elena?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to kiss you again," he informed her. Instead of letting her respond, he lowered his lips to hers. He knew it was going to take some work, but he was determined to do right by her and make their relationship work. Losing her was not an option. Now all he had to do was get her to confirm that Katherine was behind her recent memory loss so he could take care of the problem and then they could go about their lives.

"I should go," she said as she pulled out of his arms.

He opened his mouth to ask about Katherine and then closed it, shaking his head slightly. She looked at him with question and he shook his head again. "It can wait. I'll- Where's your necklace?"

Elena's hand flew to her throat and panic rose within her for a moment before she remembered. "I gave it back to Stefan."

"Elena-"

"I've been drinking vervain tea so don't worry," she demanded and moved towards the front door. She paused before opening it and turned to face him again. "I want to tell you that I understand why you didn't just tell me about that night. I would have thought you were crazy and trying to start some major drama and I know you did it to protect me. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said, completely astonished by the woman in front of him.

She smiled and lingered for a minute or two longer before opening the door and vanishing from sight.


	21. Chapter 21

TWENTY-ONE

Elena woke with a smile on her face. For the first time in days, she was looking forward to getting out of bed. Keeping her eyes closed, she stretched, enjoying the warmth of the sun as it filtered through her window. When she opened her eyes, they immediately fell to the jewelry box on the pillow next to her. Elena pushed herself up and grabbed the box and the note that had been tucked beneath it. She set the box onto the comforter in front of her and unfolded the piece of paper.

_I know you're ingesting vervain, but humor me and wear this too. -D_.

Elena smirked and set the note down before picking up the jewelry box again. She could feel her body tingling with anticipation. Not even twelve hours after opening up to each other and he was giving her presents. It also meant that he had been her bedroom while she was sleeping, but she let it go. Slowly, she opened the box and felt her heart skip a beat at the piece of jewelry inside.

It was a necklace. A simple, yet elegant necklace. The chain was silver and delicate and the pendent was a slender skeleton key. The top part of the key had hinges on one side and Elena pressed the button on the other. Her eyes widened slightly as it swung open to reveal the sprig of vervain that was resting against the turquoise lining; her favorite color. She closed the locket and stared down at the gift, completely in awe that Damon would get something like this for her. Without another thought, she put the necklace on and got out of bed to get ready for the day.

When she wandered downstairs, Jenna was sitting at the island reading the paper with a cup of coffee in front of her; as usual. She looked up at Elena and gave a casual, "Hey," before looking down, only to lift her head quickly again. She studied her niece and smirked. "Well you look...different."

Elena shook her head slightly. "Good different?"

Jenna nodded. "Did something happen that I don't know about? Because yesterday you didn't want to go out with the girls and now you're dressed as if you're going somewhere without Caroline forcing you." Her jaw dropped as her eyes widened with joy. "Did you and-"

"No," Elena answered flatly, her face going stony to let Jenna know that was not the case.

That left Jenna feeling even more perplexed. "It's too soon for you to have met someone..." she mumbled and then let her gaze fall to the necklace around Elena's throat. "Who gave you that?"

"Damon," Elena answered with a shrug, schooling her features so that she wouldn't smile in a way that would tip Jenna off.

"Uh-"

"No, no," Elena interrupted and opened the locket to show Jenna the vervain. "I gave the other necklace back to Stefan so Damon got me a new one."

"Alright," she said slowly and sipped her coffee. She watched Elena move about the kitchen, preparing breakfast for herself. "So if you didn't meet anyone and you're not back together with Stefan, what changed?"

Elena shrugged and leaned against the sink, facing the island. "I guess I just realized that I'm tired of being depressed. I'm tired of moping over things that can't be changed. I'm not the same girl I was before the accident but I'm slowly starting to find myself again. I don't want to be lost anymore and that's exactly where I'll be if I don't move on. I love him, I always will, but we've been over for a long time now."

Jenna smiled softly and said nothing as she got to her feet and made her way around the island. She pulled Elena into a hug and held her tightly. "Your mother would be so proud of you. I know I am," she whispered and pulled back enough to look at her niece. "I've said this before, but I'm here for you, okay?"

"Thanks Jenna."

"You're welcome. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do," she said and finished her coffee before taking off. Elena watched her go and remained at the sink, staring at her reflection in the window. A smile graced her lips as her hand rose to clutch her new necklace; her thoughts completely centered on Damon and how things were going to be when they saw each other again.

Lost in thought, she didn't hear the front door being opened. It wasn't until she felt warmth against her ear and heard, "Necklace looks good on you," that she jumped.

She spun around and glared at Damon who was smirking back at her, his body extremely close to hers, practically pressing her back against the sink. "That was not funny."

"You should see it from perspective."

Elena waited until her heart stopped racing and her body relaxed to talk to him. "What are you doing here?"

The humor in his eyes vanished as he looked at her. "Is this not allowed?"

"It is, I just didn't think I would see you so soon," she hurried to explain, unable to stand the faint trace of pain in his eyes. "That and I'm a little angry you scared me half to death."

Slowly, Damon's lips curved into a smirk. "Get used to it."

She shook her head and smiled back at him. "So... What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk."

"About?" she asked although she knew the answer. She was determined to put the subject off for as long as possible.

"About Katherine. You said you didn't want to say anything about your most recent memory loss, but we both know she was the reason behind it. I need you to tell me what happened, Elena."

Elena sighed and nodded slowly. "Alright," she said.

She was able to move from between him and sink to lead them to the living room. Damon sat on the arm of the couch while Elena paced in front of him. As he watched her go back and forth, he noticed her silence and figured he would have to steer the conversation. "Let's start with the day you invited me to the barbeque."

"Katherine didn't really have anything to do with that," Elena answered and then paused mid-step. "Well, not until after."

"What happened?" he prompted, watching as she continued to pace in front of him. He didn't like making her relive her moments with Katherine, but he had to know exactly what she had done.

Elena took a deep breath before continuing. "I had gone up to your room to invite you, and while you were freshening up, I found myself staring at the bed. I had been having these visions of you and I and for the first time I had one of you, me, and Katherine. It was a little unsettling and I took off." She paused to take another deep breath. "Then she showed up later that night."

Damon's jaw clenched. As angry as he was that Katherine had compelled her, he was glad that that was all she did. He would never have been able to live with himself if Elena had been hurt over something he could have prevented. Then again, he had no idea Katherine would return so soon. "She didn't hurt you did she?"

"No," Elena answered quickly, shaking her head. "Just compulsion."

"What did she have you do?"

"I was already asleep and she woke me up. She didn't say much before she took my necklace and said there was something she wanted me to do for her. She wanted me to seek you out next time I was at the boarding house."

"And do what?"

"She said 'You're to find Damon the next time you're at the boarding house. You're going to do what you've been wanting to do for some time. You're going to let him have his way with you until someone says Stefan's name.' That was it," Elena said, looking at Damon for a brief moment before looking away, her cheeks darkening.

Damon's eyes narrowed as he let her words sink in. "So..."

"I'm well aware of the fact that I initiated most of it," she informed him.

He waited until she met his gaze again to ask, "So when you said my name, that was because of her wasn't it?"

Elena looked down again. "Katherine was waiting for me when I got home. She wanted to see how far I had gone on my own. She was disappointed that Stefan's name came up that fast."

"She wasn't the only one," he muttered, giving her a smirk. It was too great of an opportunity to waste.

Elena bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling as she shook her head. "She took my necklace again and told me to forget what happened between us. She told me to have Stefan come over and do whatever I had to in order to get him to sleep with me. And in the heat of the moment, I would say your name instead."

"That was a bitchy move."

Elena gave an unladylike snort and met his gaze again. "Tell me about it."

"Has she been around after that?"

"No. Stefan and I broke up so she got what she wanted. She said she was doing this to get back at you two for falling in love with me and getting over her."

"What gave you your memory back?"

"Some potion of Bonnie's. I'm not really sure what it was," she answered and then shrugged. "Well, that's all that happened. Katherine's back in town and she has access to my house. We need to get rid of her."

"First, we need to tell Stefan what's been going on."

"No!" Elena practically shouted.

"Elena, as much as it pains me to say this, I need him. If I'm going to go after Katherine, I need him to help me. Alone we can't defeat her, but together, we have somewhat of a chance."

She shook her head again, her eyes pleading with him. "Damon, I'm sorry, but I can't. I hurt him enough already."

They stared at each other for a moment before Damon gave in. "Then I'll tell him. It's going to be harder to get him to believe me and he's just going to come here anyway to talk to you about it."

"What exactly would I say to him? I can't exactly start a conversation with, 'Hey, remember that morning I woke up with wet hair? It happened because I had just slept with your brother and your ex'."

"But Katherine-"

"Even if I told him about the compulsion, he's still going to focus on the fact that we slept together," she said and shrugged. "It still doesn't change the fact that I stayed because I wanted to and I'm not going to lie to him and tell him otherwise."

He nodded, trying to hide how happy he was that she wasn't going to deny her feelings in front of Stefan. He understood that she wasn't ready to face him just yet, but at least she wasn't going to hide what she felt. "Let me handle Stefan. I'll get him to believe me, even if we have to track Katherine down and force the truth out of her."

"Thank you," she said and silence fell between them for a moment. "How is he?"

"I don't know. He hasn't been home."

Elena's eyes went wide with alarm. "But-"

"I don't think anything happened to him," Damon interrupted, trying to calm her down. "I think he's just out blowing off some steam. He'll be back."

Elena wanted to believe him, but a part of her was convinced that Katherine had something to do with it. "Okay."

Damon stood up and moved closer to her, still not sure what was allowed and what wasn't. He wanted to take her into his arms and kiss away her fears, but he didn't know if that was rushing or not. "I will find him and I will talk to him. I will make sure he understands before he says something he can't take back."

"Okay," she said again and looked up at him. She was contemplating reaching out to him or not. Their relationship was a confusing one. Taking a deep breath, she moved forward until her arms could wrap around him. Slowly, his came out to envelop her and hold her even closer. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied and smirked at the small victory of having her in his arms. "I should probably go. The faster I find him, the faster we can get rid of Katherine and be done with her."

She nodded against him and then looked up. "If you have to."

He gave a small smile as they continued to stare at each other. He saw the way her eyes kept stealing glances at his lips and he was unable to hold back any longer. Slowly, he leaned in, asking with his eyes for permission. She didn't back away or do anything to stop him. When their lips met, their eyes closed as they both relaxed. He pulled away slightly and kissed her again, repeating the action a few more times. Elena couldn't help but smile as his lips pressed firmly against hers for the fifth time before she pulled away, putting her head back onto his chest.

He grinned as she tightened her hold on him. "I'll let you know when I talk to him, okay?"

"Alright," she replied and sighed as they pulled away from each other.

"I'll come back later."

"I'm gonna go see Bonnie, but I'll let you know when I'm back."

He nodded and began walking towards the door, knowing that if he stayed any longer he would end up taking her upstairs where neither one of them would leave the room for the rest of the day. "Bye."

She smiled and shut the door behind him. Elena walked up to her room with that lopsided grin on her face that wouldn't go away. She was glad he was taking things slow, given that she knew how much he wanted to be with her. However, her smile faded as she opened her bedroom door to see Katherine standing at the foot of the bed. "I thought he'd never leave."

"What-"

In a flash, the vampire was behind her, a hand clamped over her mouth while her other arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms to her side. "I'll explain everything later. I need you to come with me."

Elena fought with everything she had, screaming Damon's name into the palm of Katherine's hand, but the vampire wouldn't budge. Instead of waiting, Katherine sighed and removed her arm from Elena's waist long enough to retrieve something from her back pocket, using her vampire speed. Before Elena had even registered that she was free, she felt a sharp sting in her arm. She stopped struggling as her movements became sluggish and her vision began to blur. Katherine caught her before she fell and picked her up as if she didn't weigh a thing. The last thing Elena saw before her she passed out was the door to her room closing at Katherine carried her out.


	22. Chapter 22

**a/n: So I'm almost out of updates and the story is progressing slowly, so I won't be updating every other day anymore. As for One Kiss, since there's a long break, I'm going to take my time and see if I can squeeze out more than one chapter. Thanks again for reviewing/reading/alerting/favoriting this story. You guys are awesome!**

TWENTY-TWO

When Jeremy entered the house, he was rewarded with a chill going down his spine. He had expected to come home to an empty house, but something felt off. Shrugging it off, he headed upstairs to grab fresh clothes and take a shower. He had just finished playing basketball with Tyler, Matt, and some of their other friends in town. Since Tyler was supposedly setting him up on a date later, he figured it would be best not to smell like he had been playing basketball all day.

As he entered the bathroom, he heard Elena's phone ringing from inside. He found himself standing by the door with his ear pressed tightly against it. It rang for a second time before Jeremy started knocking on her door. "Elena?" He waited for an answer, but there was nothing. "Elena, come on, this isn't funny."

The phone rang for a third time and Jeremy felt sick to his stomach. "I'm coming in," he announced and let himself inside. He looked around the room, trying to find a clue. Her phone was on the nightstand, blinking with voicemail messages. He turned on the display to see that Jenna had called. It rang again and he answered it to put his aunt out of her misery.

"Elena, what the hell?"

"She's in the shower, Jenna."

"She took one this morning."

He swore mentally. Even though Jenna knew about the stuff that went on around here, he didn't want to worry her about this if nothing was going on. That made him snort at the irony. That was probably what Elena had done to him when she had kept things from him. "Well, she's in there again. I'll have her call you back when she gets out."

"Okay," she replied, but didn't sound convinced.

As Jeremy returned the phone to the nightstand, he noticed the piece of paper that was lying in the middle of the bed. He reached out and picked it up. His eyes went wide as he read it over and over again, his heart pounding in his chest as his blood boiled over with anger. When the paper slipped through his fingers and floated to the floor, he whipped out his phone and dialed Stefan's number. It went straight to voicemail. He picked up Elena's phone and called Damon.

"Damon, it's Jeremy," he said the moment the vampire answered. "There's something you need to see."

* * *

When Damon arrived at the boarding house, he was happy to see that Stefan was home. It meant that he didn't have to waste any time tracking him down. He could hear the younger Salvatore in his room making more noise than necessary. Damon approached his door and opened it without knocking only to find Stefan throwing things into suitcases. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like?" Stefan returned without stopping to look at him.

"You're not seriously running away are you? That's not going to solve anything."

"I don't want to talk about this."

"That's too bad."

"Damon-" he started, turning to look at him.

"She told me what happened between the two of you."

"And you're here to gloat?"

"No, I'm here to tell you what was really going on."

Stefan snorted and shook his head, "So I was right. There were things going on between the two of you."

"Not exactly."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means-" Before he could fully explain the situation, his phone rang. Elena's name was on the display. He answered it, giving Stefan a warning look. "Hello?"

"Damon, it's Jeremy. There's something you need to see."

The fact that he was calling him from Elena's phone with that tone of voice didn't sit well with Damon at all. "What is it?"

"It's Elena."

"We'll be right over," he assured Jeremy and hung up. Stefan was staring at him, anxiously waiting to see what was wrong. "You're coming with me."

"Damon, what's going on?"

"Katherine. She's back," was all Damon said before he and his brother headed to the Gilbert house.

* * *

Elena groaned as she came to. Her body ached and her head was pounding. Slowly, she opened her eyes, only to find that everything was blurry. She blinked several times, feeling nauseated until everything snapped into place all at once. Still, she remained where she was, staring at the stuff that immediately surrounded her trying to figure out where she was. Nothing was familiar, yet everything was strangely warm and comforting in a way.

Slowly, she pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing as a dull pain shot up her arm. She looked at her bicep to see a needle mark surrounded by a bit of red at the injection site. Her brow creased with worry as she tried to remember what had happened. Just as she started to remember Katherine being in her room right after Damon left, the female vampire came into the room holding a tray of food.

Elena scrambled to her feet, desperately looking for a way out, only to find bars on the windows. She turned back to face Katherine, her chest heaving as she attempted to regulate her breathing. The vampire was only staring at her with amusement written all over her face. "Are you done?" she asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Where am I?"

"You're safe."

"Safe?"

Katherine gave a small sigh as she set the tray down on top of the low dresser. "Well, you're with me and I have no intention of hurting you," she answered and nodded after giving her a thoughtful look. "So yeah, I'd say you're safe."

"Kidnapping me implies that you're going to hurt me."

"I wanted to talk to you where no one would interrupt us for a bit. I want to tell you things you need to know about your heritage. I know I drugged you, but it was the easiest way to get you here. Honestly, I didn't want to hear you bitch the entire way here."

"Where is here?" Elena asked again.

"Far away from Mystic Falls," Katherine answered, rolling her eyes at the way Elena's jaw dropped. "Don't worry, I told your boyfriends exactly where they could find you. They should be on their way here. Which means the faster you shut up and listen, the faster I can hand you over to them and you can go home. Sound good?"

Elena narrowed her eyes at the vampire. "It's not like I have a choice."

Katherine smiled and picked up the tray again, bringing it to the bed. "Now you're getting it."

"What's that?"

"It's called food. You know, stuff you put into your body for nourishment so you can keep on living. It will help take the drug out of your system. Once your adrenaline stops flowing, the side effects will kick in unless you counteract them first. You eat, I'll talk."

"But-"

"No, I didn't poison the food. If I wanted to hurt you I would do it myself."

Elena stared at the older woman for a bit longer before she felt herself moving towards the bed. She sat near the headboard where she could see Katherine from every angle and started to eat. The food was delicious and it made Elena realize how hungry she was. "I'm listening," she said after swallowing a few bites.

Katherine nodded, trying to find the right place to begin. "When I was human, I had a child out of wedlock. At that time, it was damn near inconceivable for something like that to happen. I was allowed to have the baby, but the moment she was born, she was taken from me. Father made sure that I never even got to hold her. I was barely able to catch a glimpse of her as she carried out of the room."

Elena saw the pain in Katherine's eyes. She may not trust or like the girl in front of her, but she couldn't imagine how she would feel if her child had been taken from her. "I'm sorry."

Katherine didn't comment. Instead, she seemed to shake herself out of the memory and look at Elena with the smirk she was more accustomed to seeing on her face. "Not long after a man named Klaus came to our village. He was charming and got everyone to like him. He wasn't there for very long before he revealed his plan. It was me he was there for. I was the doppelganger and it was my blood he needed to lift the curse."

Elena swallowed thickly and looked at Katherine with alarm. "What curse?" she asked slowly.

Katherine moved to the space in front of the closet and bent down. In one swift tug, the floorboard came up. She reached into the small space and pulled out a milky white stone that fit perfectly into the palm of her hand. "This is the moonstone. It was cursed by witches to make wolves and vampires slaves to the sun and the moon. Werewolves are at their strongest during the full moon and without the aide of lapis lazuli and a little spell, vampires would never be able to walk in the sun."

"How are we connected?"

Katherine was pleased that her only living relative was asking all the right questions. It was making this go a lot smoother. "It was Petrova blood that started the curse to begin with. Only the blood of a human doppelganger could reverse it and set the supernatural creatures free."

"And the doppelganger?"

"It's a phenomenon that rarely happens. Only during the time the doppelganger is alive is the curse able to be broken. Klaus had everything planned out for the sacrifice, but I had already figured out what was going on and I fled. By that time, I had been getting close to one of his men. He was the one that sent me to his friend Rose. She was the one who turned me although she didn't mean to. When Klaus realized what I had done, he retaliated. I went back to my village and he had slaughtered my entire family."

Elena found it hard to breathe, her heart dropping into her stomach. "So Klaus is going to kill everyone I love if I don't hand myself over? Is that what you're saying?"

"No," she answered quickly, holding up the moonstone. "He needs this first. He doesn't know you exist yet. He won't even bother looking for you until he has this because if you keep yourself out of trouble, you might get lucky and die of old age before he finds this thing."

"But then this will just happen to someone else."

Katherine shook her head. "If you never have children of your own, there is no breaking the curse."

Elena had never really thought about having children, but the choice being taken away didn't sit well with her. "Does the doppelganger have to die to lift the curse?" she asked quietly.

"Probably not, but Klaus is an Original. He likes blood and violence more than you'll ever know. Chances of the doppelganger getting out alive are slim to none."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"To keep you safe."

Elena gave an unladylike snort at that. "You told me you were compelling me and making my life hell to get back at the Salvatores for replacing you with me. That's not keeping me safe."

Katherine shrugged; a weak apology. "While I'm not exactly sorry about what I did, I will admit that I may have went a little overboard. They did need to be taught a lesson, but it was mostly for entertainment purposes. I loved them in my own way, but that was a hundred and fifty years ago. I've moved on, it's time for them to do the same."

"Did you?" Elena asked cautiously.

Katherine was taken aback by that question. "Yes."

"Uh-huh," she replied, wondering where her boldness had come from.

Katherine narrowed her eyes and chose to change the subject. Her feelings for the Salvatores was a topic that was not up for discussion. "Whether or not Damon and Stefan had been a part of your life, I would have been. I made it my mission to track down my child and all the family members that came after. Some of them I made contact with and some I watched from a distance. I did everything I possibly could to keep them away from the supernatural. There was a time when I lost track of my blood line. When I found it again, it was Isobel. She was newly married and going to college for paranormal studies.

"When I learned she had given up a child, I tracked it down and I was led to you. I instantly knew that you were the doppelganger. There was no denying it; you looked exactly like I did at each and every stage of your life."

Elena's eyes went wide as she caught the hidden message.

"Yes, I watched you grow up. I made sure that you stayed safe and that the supernatural elements stayed far away from you. Obviously that didn't work out too well. John found out who I was and almost caught me off guard with a stake."

"How did he find out?"

"That damned Council," Katherine muttered. "He had always known about me, but had never met me until I started watching you. Once Isobel traced her heritage back to me, he found me in town and threatened me. I got him to back off once I told him about the curse and that I was only sticking around to keep you safe. Somehow Isobel got him to give her Damon's number and by the time I found out, she was already a vampire. She said she did it to help you."

Again, Elena snorted. "Some help. She threatened their lives and helped John almost kill them."

"I'm well aware of what they did. Which is another reason why I came back. John was just lucky I didn't kill him as I should have done. The whole point of keeping you safe was not to wreak havoc in this small town. Klaus knew I resided here at one point and John's time here might have tipped him off. I would have preferred that you had never met Damon and Stefan, seeing as I was done with them way back when, but I guess they can be of some use."

It was silent for a little bit. Katherine had moved to one of the windows, looking outside. "Why did you do it?" Elena found herself asking.

"Do what?" Katherine returned, her focus still on the world outside the window.

"That night at the boarding house. Why did you want me to stay?"

Katherine turned to face her and smiled softly. "So the potion and the spell worked well."

"H-how-"

"Bonnie contacted one of her relatives named Lucy. Lucy works for me the way Emily used to. I had to help you remember sooner or later and I'm glad to see it worked. I was planning on compelling you to remember if it didn't."

Elena was definitely not expecting that. Unsure of what else to say, she asked again. "Why did you want me to stay?"

"I saw you and Stefan in the beginning and while it was sweet, it obviously wasn't you. I had watched you grow up and you were different before the accident. You and Stefan were not meant to be together and I had seen the way you and Damon and been acting around each other. Honestly, I was tired of being his replacement for you."

"What?"

"Please. The reason he went after me was so he could pretend that I was you. He couldn't have the real thing, so he did the best he could. Not once did he think of me when we were together. When I heard you in the closet, it was just too much of an opportunity to waste. It worked, didn't it?"

Elena bit her bottom lip, not sure what to say to that. Luckily she didn't have to think of something to say as Katherine's attention went back to the window, a smirk on her face. "Looks like they got my note rather quickly," she mumbled as she moved quickly to Elena's side, pulling her to her feet. "I'm not going to hurt you, but I need to make sure that they don't hurt me."

Before Elena could reply, Stefan and Damon bolted into the room, armed with stakes and vervain darts. Both their faces were vamped out, fangs bared in Katherine's direction. "Let her go," Damon demanded.

"Hello boys," Katherine said with a smirk.


	23. Chapter 23

**a/n: So as of now I have finished the outline for this story and it's going to have 31 chapters. Just thought I'd let you guys know. If there's any loose ends that you guys would like me to address, let me know because I wrote the first twenty chapters awhile ago and I might have left something out when I picked the story back up again :)**

TWENTY-THREE

Stefan's fangs retracted, his face going back to normal as he looked at Elena. "Are you alright?"

Elena nodded despite Katherine's tight grip on her and then moved her eyes to Damon. Stefan's hand clenched around the stake he was holding, once again going over everything Damon had told him in the car. It had been a good hour drive, even at Damon's law breaking speed, and he was still convinced he had been told the short version of the story. He had been more than ready to kill his former love for opening Elena's eyes to Damon, but then he saw the way she looked at him. Stefan was positive she had loved him, but not once had she ever looked at him like _that_.

"Let her go," Damon growled around his fangs.

"I'm not going to hurt her."

"Then let her go."

"I just want to talk. You put down the weapons, I'll let her go," Katherine negotiated, her grip loosening a little to show that she meant what she said.

Damon looked at Elena and she gave a slight nod. "She won't hurt me," she said softly, hoping that Katherine had been telling the truth all along. That this wasn't part of her revenge scheme.

Slowly, Damon's face went back to normal, but his body stayed poised to attack. "Drop the weapons," Katherine demanded again.

Stefan was the first to comply. The stakes dropped to the ground with a hallow thud that resonated for a few seconds. Then everyone's attention was on Damon. "Hurt her and I swear I will tear you apart," he threatened, releasing his stakes one by one.

True to her word, Katherine let go of Elena and moved to stand beside her. Elena thought about making a break for it, but she knew that would be a bad idea. "She stays on this side of the room so I know you won't attack."

"What do you want Katherine?" Stefan asked.

She looked at both of them and Elena noticed that her eyes lingered on Stefan. "I know you both hate me for what I did and I don't blame you one bit. You weren't supposed to come after me and get yourselves killed." She shrugged and rolled her shoulders. "But that's not why I'm here. I could really care less about what happened in 1864. I'm here because of what happened centuries before."

Damon grunted and shook his head. "I'm betting that even as a human you were starving for attention."

Katherine glared at him and Elena saw the way her jaw ticked with anger. "I'm here because Elena is in danger and as my last surviving heir, I can't let that happen."

That sobered both of the brothers up. Instead of wallowing or trying to find a way to get Elena away from Katherine, they both straightened up and were ready to listen. Katherine gave them the short version of her story, choosing to spend a little more time on the curse and what it had to do with Elena.

When she was done, the room fell completely silent for a long moment. Damon was the one to break it by asking, "So what do you want from us?"

"I want you to keep Elena safe. I have a plan to get rid of Klaus and I may need your help to do it."

Damon didn't like the idea of helping Katherine at all, but it was to keep Elena safe and for that he would do anything. He nodded stiffly as he looked at Katherine. "I want Elena back now."

Katherine gave him a smirk before looking at Elena. "Go," she whispered.

Elena moved quickly in case she changed her mind, flinging herself into Damon's arms. He held her so tightly she thought he would break her, but she didn't care. She welcomed it because it was where she wanted to be.

Stefan looked away, his eyes finding Katherine's.

"You're free to go," Katherine said. "I'll keep you posted."

Without hesitation, Damon led Elena out of the room and to the car. Stefan looked at the door and then back at Katherine. "Why did you make her say his name?"

"One, because it was fun. Two, because you two were taking your sweet time breaking up. I had to speed up the process a little."

"Why?"

"I can't have the three of you distracted wondering who she loves or what she's doing."

"So now I just have to sit back and watch them be together? No, I'm leaving."

Katherine sped across the room and blocked the entrance, baring her fangs at him. "You leave and I will kill you myself. This is about Elena, not you. Once this is all over, you're free to leave."

"Why do you suddenly care about Elena?"

She shook her head and stepped aside. "This isn't sudden. I was selfish in choosing to turn, but Elena's not. She wants to keep her friends and family alive and well. I'm here to see that she doesn't make the same mistakes I did," she answered and in the blink of an eye she was gone.

Stefan slowly made his way to the car only to be rewarded with the sight of Elena wrapped in his brother's arms as they leaned against the Camero. Not wanting to watch or interrupt, he turned with the intent to leave.

"Where are you going?" came Damon's voice.

"You guys head back, I'll find my own way."

"Stefan-" came Elena's voice as he turned to see them.

"Just go," he said and disappeared from sight as Katherine had done moments ago.

Elena placed her head on Damon's chest as his arms tightened around her. "Did you tell him?" she asked, her voice muffled.

"I was going to tell him everything at the boarding house, but your brother called and said you were gone. He found a note from Katherine and told us to come look at it. That's how we found you. I filled Stefan in on the ride over here."

Elena groaned. "He hates me."

"He hates both of us," Damon corrected. Her head came up and she gave him a stern look to which he smirked. "Well?"

She sighed, knowing he was right. "I just hate that I hurt him."

Damon shrugged. "He'll get over it. He has plenty of time." Instead of letting her say anything more on the subject he pulled away from her enough so that he could start inspecting her. "Did she hurt you?" he asked.

"No," she answered, only to hiss as his finger swiped over the injection site. "She gave me something to knock me out so she could get me here, but she didn't hurt me."

Damon stared at the mark until Elena cleared her throat to get his attention. "Come on, let's get you home."

Elena mutely nodded and reluctantly moved away from Damon to get into the passenger seat. "Where are we anyway?"

"A run down section of Fell's Church. It's about an hour away from Mystic Falls."

"Oh," she replied, staring out the window as Damon sped home.

The rest of the ride was mainly silent. After a good thirty minutes or so, Damon turned the radio on quietly. As they neared Mystic Falls, Elena found herself staring at his hand that was resting on the gear shift. After some internal debate, she reached out and laid her hand over his. He looked at her and she smiled, catching him by complete surprise. He turned his hand over to link their fingers and gave a little squeeze. And that was how they were for the rest of the ride.

"Mine or yours?" he asked, secretly hoping she choose hers. If they went back to the boarding house he wasn't so sure he would be able to keep his hands off of her. At least at her house he would be able to restrain himself because he wasn't sure if anyone knew about them.

"Mine. I'm sure Jeremy's anxiously waiting to see me after finding that note. God only knows what he told Jenna."

Damon nodded and headed towards the Gilbert house. As he pulled up, Jeremy practically ran outside to greet them. Seconds after getting out of the car, Jeremy had his arms around her, holding her tight. "What did she want? Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Jer."

He pulled back to stare at her. "Well, what did she want?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now. I just want to forget that she was here today, alright?"

Jeremy hesitated, but after seeing the warning look on Damon's face, he nodded. "I should let you know Jenna called you earlier and I tried to cover for you, but she wasn't buying," he said, placing her phone into her hand.

She sighed. "I'll deal with it later, I guess."

He nodded and looked at the house briefly. "Tyler's inside. I needed a distraction and he came over to play Xbox."

Elena's lips parted to say something, but they closed and she looked at Damon. "Uh, alright. We'll be in in a minute, okay?"

"Sure," he said and retreated back to the house.

When he was gone, Elena turned to Damon, trying to figure out how she should phrase her thoughts. "What?" he asked.

"Well, Tyler's a werewolf..."

"And?"

"Maybe he could help us when-"

"We'll worry about that later," Damon interrupted her before coming around to take her hand. "For now, let's just worry about what we're going to do today."

She stopped walking towards the house, making him stop as well. "And what _are_ we doing today?"

He moved closer to her, letting go of her hand to place his on her hips. "Reading that note, knowing that you were gone, made me realize just how much I care about you. I want to be with you Elena, in every way, and that means a relationship. I'm ready to handle it if you are. I want to take you out on a proper date."

Elena looked at him, her mouth slightly open as she absorbed his words. Slowly, she felt herself nodding, offering him a warm smile as her hands went up to rest on his shoulders. "When I saw Katherine standing there in my room, my only thoughts were that I was never going to get to see you again. I'm ready."

His response was to kiss her. He leaned in an pressed his lips to hers before bringing her body as close as possible. His fingers gripped her hips as her arms wound around his neck, her fingers diving into his hair. Elena relaxed against him and kissed him back with everything she had, reveling in how _right_ being in his arms finally felt.

It wasn't until she needed to breathe that she pulled away from him, burying her cheek against his chest. "I love you, Elena," he whispered. "I know it's early, but it's true."

Her heart skipped a beat as she moved back slightly to look at him. She could see the truth of his words in his eyes. Before she even realized it, she found herself saying, "I love you too."

Damon went completely still. "Elena-"

"It's not a reflex," she assured both of them. "Even though Katherine had taken my memories away from me, I still found myself falling for you. She didn't take away the fact that we had been connecting more and more as time wore on, just the fact that we were so close. But I do; I love you, Damon."

He searched her eyes, getting lost in the chocolate brown depths as he found the truth there. No one had ever said those words to him since his mother passed. It was what he had hoped to hear from Katherine once upon a time, but hearing Elena say it was much better. To show her how much he appreciated it, he leaned in and kissed her again. This time it was a mix of heat and tenderness; both passionate and caring. Elena felt the spark she had been missing from her relationship with Stefan. It wasn't just because it was something new, it was because they belonged together and they both knew it.

When they broke the kiss mutually, Elena looked up at him with a smile. "So...about that date..."

He smirked at her, leaning in to rest his forehead against hers. "You let me worry about the details and I'll pick you up at six tomorrow."

"Only if you do one little thing for me."

"What would that be?" he asked cautiously.

"I want you to be there when I tell Jenna about us."

Damon made a face, but nodded anyway. He wasn't sure why, but Jenna scared him and he knew telling her wasn't going to be easy. "If she stakes me-"

"She won't," Elena assured him and smiled wider. "What should I wear?"

He shrugged as they began walking towards the house again. "Whatever you want," he answered, his arm tightening around her waist. He was right where he wanted to be; by Elena's side and he really would do anything and everything to make sure that nothing would take her away from him.


	24. Chapter 24

**a/n: I split the date into two chapters in case anyone wonders why I stopped there. :)**

TWENTY-FOUR

Elena paced the foyer. It was quarter to six and Damon wasn't there yet. She had left a message asking him to come over earlier so that they could talk to Jenna. All day the anticipation had been killing her. Jenna had just started being okay with the fact that there were supernatural creatures involved in her niece and nephew's lives; Elena wasn't sure how she would react to the sudden change in relationships. Especially given the fact that Jenna wasn't all that crazy about Damon.

There was another thing that had kept her awake at night. Stefan. She had been wondering if he ever made it home. She was also worried about what being with Damon would do to the brother's already rocky relationship.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Damon's car pulling up to the house. Elena looked over her shoulder to see Jenna's silhouette through the glass inserts in the French door as she moved around the kitchen, laughing about something Alaric said on the other end of the phone. Elena took the opportunity to slip out onto the front porch to greet Damon, giving them both time and space to talk about what they were going to tell Jenna.

Damon picked up on her nervousness right away. "You okay?" he asked.

As much as she wanted to voice her fears about coming between him and Stefan, she didn't want to get into it now. She would see how their date went and tell him afterwards. Instead, she smiled and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Just worried about how Jenna's going to take this."

"We don't have to tell her right now," he suggested, that glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Elena smirked. She knew Damon was afraid of Jenna and it amused her to no end. "Yes we do. She'll never forgive me if I keep this from her."

Damon sighed and smiled back at her, leaning against the railing. "So how much do you want to tell her?"

"Jeremy let it slip that something was up yesterday. After you left she kept nagging until I told her. I filled her and Jeremy in on everything Katherine said, I just didn't tell her about us."

"Do you want to tell her the full story?"

"No," Elena answered quickly, shaking her head rapidly. "I just want to tell her the truth. That Stefan and I started drifting apart and somewhere along the way, I fell for you."

Damon couldn't help but smirk at that, moving forward to cup her face, tilting it up so he could look her straight in the eye. "And if she doesn't approve?"

Elena shrugged. "It's not really up to her, is it?" she countered.

"Good answer," he breathed before lowering his lips to hers. Her hands went to his hips as his slid from her face to her hair. As he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, the front door opened. It was deja vu all over again as they sprang apart, turning to see Jenna in the doorway with surprise clear on her face.

"What is it about the damn porch?" she hissed, even though she knew the last time had been Katherine.

"Uh, Jenna, there's something we have to talk to you about," Elena said, her cheeks burning as she looked at her aunt.

Her eyes jumped from Elena to Damon. "Yes. Yes you do," she said, moving to let them into the house. Damon and Elena sat on opposite ends of the couch, watching Jenna pace in front of them. "Seriously," she said, stopping to look at Damon, putting her hands on her hips. "Start talking."

"I-"

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing with my niece?" she interrupted as she started pacing again.

Damon glanced at Elena and gave her a small smirk at Jenna's behavior. Elena could do nothing but return it. Her aunt's attitude always made Elena smile. "Well-" he tried again.

"You are nothing but a womanizer and I'm sorry, vampire or not, you are so not going to be using Elena."

"That's not-"

She stopped moving and narrowed her eyes at him. "I've seen you around town with your little playthings, Damon. Elena is not that kind of girl and she _just _ended things with Stefan. I know the two of you have issues over Katherine, but I'm not going to sit back and watch you use Elena to get back at each other for something that happened a hundred and fifty years ago."

Damon waited until Jenna's burst of anger slowly faded and he was able to talk without being interrupted. "This has nothing to do with my past. What I feel for Elena is real."

Jenna made a noise of disbelief and sat down on the arm of the chair. She looked at Elena for the first time. "And you? Tell me this isn't some rebound."

Elena shook her head. "It's not. Stefan and I have been drifting apart for awhile now and during that time I found myself falling for Damon. Actually, my feelings for Damon have been developing even before Stefan and I started having problems. Katherine may have been the reason that brought both of them to me, but she's not the reason they stayed."

"It better not be," Jenna mumbled, shifting her best hard stare back at Damon.

He tried his best to hold back his smirk. Jenna was down right adorable when she was angry. It reminded him of Elena in a strange way. "It's true. You may think I'm a womanizer, and you have every reason to do so, but those women meant nothing. They were simply a distraction or a mean to an end. In the meantime I devoted my entire existence as a vampire to getting Katherine out of that tomb. Everything I did was to be with her again.

"Then I came here and saw Elena. In the beginning I wanted to destroy her and this town for doing what they did long ago. But over time, I found myself doing everything I could to protect the town and especially Elena. My feelings for her are real, Jenna. I haven't felt this way about anyone; not even Katherine. I love her."

Jenna's eyes widened to the point Elena thought they would pop out of her skull. "What?"

Damon understood that it was a rhetorical question out of shock, but nodded anyway. "You are the head of this household and out of respect, I am asking you if I am allowed to court your niece."

"Court?" Jenna and Elena repeated at the same time.

Damon winked at Elena who rolled her eyes in response. Jenna sighed and stared at the two of them. "Well, since you're being such a gentleman and all about it," she answered and stood up. "But if you hurt her, I will stake you. Got it?"

Damon rose and nodded at her. "Jenna, if I ever hurt her, I will give you the stake myself."

Jenna inclined her head, satisfied with the answer and looked at Elena. "I assume you're going on a date tonight?" she asked, having noticed how long Elena had taken to come down.

"Yes."

"I'll have her back-"

Jenna interrupted yet again, this time by shaking her head and smirking. "Oh no. I may care about who Elena chooses to be in her life, but I'm not that kind of parent. I don't do curfews. Just stay out of trouble and don't do anything I wouldn't do." The last she added with a wink to Elena before turning around and heading back into the kitchen.

Damon and Elena exchanged a look before she shrugged and got to her feet. "That went..." she said, not sure how to explain it at all.

"Yeah," he agreed and motioned towards the door.

Once they were out on the patio, Elena stopped, earning a questioning glance from Damon. "Before we go any further, I want you to promise me something."

Damon's eyes narrowed in confusion, his head nodding slowly. "Okay."

"I made Stefan promise me the same thing," she said, glancing down at the ground for a moment before meeting his gaze again. "I want you to promise that you'll work on your relationship with Stefan. I can't do this knowing that I was the one that destroyed what you had. What you've both been working on to get back."

Damon smiled softly and cupped her face, making sure that their eyes were locked as he answered. "Katherine destroyed Stefan and I; not you. That belongs to her and her alone. If anything, you're the one that brought us closer." He paused as he saw her eyes well up with tears, his thumbs idly stroking her cheeks. "It's true, Elena. It wasn't until you came into our lives that we started to reconnect. Sure, it wasn't like when we were human, but we're getting there. Stefan will come around, he just needs time to accept what happened and move on. Trust me," he said, leaning in to kiss her lips briefly. "Stefan and I will work out our problems and we will not let you come between us."

Satisfied, Elena nodded as best she could and let her eyes close. "Okay," she breathed as his lips descended onto hers once more. After they broke apart, Damon led her to his car.

* * *

Elena hadn't said anything as Damon drove them away from Mystic Falls. It was when they passed by Fell's Church that she said something. "Uh, where exactly are you taking me?" she asked, looking at him with a curious expression.

"You'll see."

"You're not kidnapping me to Georgia again are you?" she teased. Her humor faded when he didn't say a word; just sat there, staring out the windshield in absolute silence. "Seriously, Damon. I don't think Jenna would-"

"Relax, we're not going to Georgia," he said, turning to smile at her. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm not welcome anywhere near Bree's bar anymore."

"Why not?"

He went back to staring out the window without answering. Elena decided to let it drop. "So then where are you taking me?"

"You'll see," he repeated. He smirked at her sigh of irritation.

After another fifteen silent minutes, they entered a small town center. Damon drove to the other side of it and pulled up to a bar. "Um-"

"Don't worry about being underage," Damon said.

Before Elena could say anything in protest, he was out of the car and opening her door for her. The moment she was standing beside him, she spoke. "I don't want you compelling people to let me in."

"I won't have to. I know the guy that owns the bar."

Elena sighed and wrapped her arms around her chest. "The last time you were 'friends' with the person who owned the bar-"

"This person isn't a witch and he knows all about my behavior," he interrupted and gave her a look that was hard to resist. "I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't think it was safe, okay? I just..." he paused, suddenly feeling a rush of nerves. It was a very odd feeling seeing as he hadn't experienced it since being a human.

"You just what?" she asked softly, sensing his change of emotions.

"When we went to Georgia, I saw the real Elena. Sure, you were very wasted, but you were open. You said that being there when you first started falling for me. Well, that was when I started falling for you too."

Elena couldn't help but smile at that. It was so cheesy, but romantic all the same. She reached out and took his hands in hers, giving a light squeeze. "Well, then we should probably get inside," she said, not wanting to argue anymore.

The interior was something straight out of a country music video, but luckily there was no sawdust on the floor. It was a large room, complete with a couple of pool tables, a bar lining one wall, a dance floor, and bar tables throughout. Elena scanned the crowd, glad that there was a decent amount of people around. Her eyes jumped to Damon as she felt his hand take hers, leading her to the bar. "This is Drew," he said to the man behind the counter. "Drew, this is Elena."

Elena could hear him over the music and he didn't even have to shout. "Nice to meet you," Drew said, looking her up and down as if he'd seen her before.

Elena rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm not Katherine if that's what you're thinking," she said curtly.

His brown eyes went wide and he shook his head. "Who?"

Elena could feel her cheeks heating up as she waved it off. "Never mind."

"You're Elena Gilbert, right? Cheerleader at Mystic Falls High?"

"Former cheerleader, yeah."

He nodded, finally recognizing her and smiled warmly. "A...relative of mine went there last year. He graduated but I went to a few football games."

"Relative?" she asked and then shook her head, figuring that the man in front of her was something of the supernatural sort. "You know what, I don't want to know."

"That's fair," he said before turning to Damon. "Well, as I told you, I don't care if she drinks, just don't cause any trouble."

"We won't, thanks Drew," he said and watched as his friend poured them a shot of tequila. He raised the glasses to Drew before handing one to Elena and walking away to one of the pool tables. As they set their empty shot glasses down on the edge of the table, Damon looked at Elena.

"What?" she asked after a long moment of him staring at her without saying anything. He shrugged and let his lips take the shape of a smirk. "We've hung out before; we don't have to make this awkward."

"Hey, it goes both ways," he said.

Elena smirked and leaned against the pool table. "We've already slept together. You'd think that this would be the easy part."

Damon smiled fondly at the memory of the night that changed his life forever. No longer did he look back on that night and think of what could be. He didn't have to hope every time he saw her that she would remember. She was his. She did remember and she wanted him just as much now as she did then. In response to her comment, he moved to stand in front of her and without hesitation, cupped her face and lowered his lips to hers.

Elena immediately parted her lips to deepen the kiss. As their tongue's danced together, her hands rose up to rest on his shoulders. Her fingers dug in just a little as she brought him closer. She hadn't been expecting the kiss, at least not right away. All her nervousness and anxiety about the date went away. She was only able to focus on Damon's body pressed against hers and the skill of his lips and tongue.

When Damon stepped away, he smirked at Elena. She stared at him with question in her eyes; her head reeling from the kiss. There had been plenty of heat between them and it was all Damon could do to stop himself from taking her on the pool table right then and there. "What was that for?" she asked in a breathy voice.

He shrugged and let his hands fall from her face to her shoulders. "An ice breaker."

_It sure was hot enough to break ice_, Elena thought but only smiled up at him instead. "So are we really going to play pool this time?"

He nodded and moved away, laughing. "Yes. I'm determined to play at least three games to make up for the last time. But I don't want to play regular pool."

"What do you want to play?" she asked, watching as he racked up the balls.

"For every ball you sink, you tell me something I don't know about you and I'll do the same."

Elena nodded, already trying to think of things that he didn't already know about her. Her life probably paled in comparison to his. "Okay," she said and walked over to the wall where the cue sticks were being held. "I'll break." With that, she moved to the opposite side of the table, lined up the white ball, and took the first shot.


	25. Chapter 25

**a/n: I know most of you wanted to see their date, but no matter what I did, I just couldn't write it the way I wanted to. So I skipped ahead and I think you'll like the direction I took ;)**

TWENTY-FIVE

After a few rounds of pool, several drinks later, and dinner, they mutually decided to head back home. Elena stared out of the window as they drove towards Mystic Falls. She had learned a lot about Damon. Especially about his mother. Very rarely did he mention anything about his life as a vampire. It was heartbreaking to hear how his father had treated him after the death of his mother. From what she understood, Damon was a spitting image of his mother, making it too painful to be around him.

As they entered the Mystic Falls city limit, Elena finally broke the silence. "Tonight was great, Damon. Thank you."

"No, thank you," he said, turning to look at her.

She reached over and put her hand over his, linking their fingers slightly. "Maybe I should stay at the boarding house tonight." Damon's brow shot up as he turned his head to look at her again. "Jenna wasn't really crazy about you taking me out and I don't think the fact that you took me to a bar will win her over."

Damon glanced down at her hand as her thumb started rubbing his skin. He could feel her pulse quickening ever so slightly along with the faintest trace of her arousal. "Are you sure?" he asked, knowing exactly what she was implying.

"I'm sure," she replied and turned to look out the window again, her hand still resting on his.

Damon said nothing and headed towards the boarding house. When they pulled into the garage, he moved faster than she could blink to open her door for her, smirking at the momentary confusion on her face. They walked into the house, side-by-side; barely touching each other. As they came to the stairs, they mutually slowed down and ended up facing each other. A little bit of awkward tension settled over them. Elena was the first to break the tension by moving forward and placing her hands in his.

Damon smirked. He had been wondering if she would make the first move or not. But now that she had, he was nervous again. "I thought we were taking this slow," he said softly as moved his hands from hers to her hips, pulling her closer.

She smiled up at him as her hands slid up his chest, her fingers curling around the opening at the top. "There's no certainty that this is going to last forever. Nobody ever knows for sure. What we have is going to be great, that is the one thing that I _am_ sure of. I spent too much time trying to fix something that couldn't be fixed and I don't want to waste any more time. I love you, Damon."

Once again, Elena hadssss surprised him more than he ever thought she could. "Just ask answer this one question. How intoxicated are you?"

She smiled more and shook her head playfully. "Enough to know that I want this. We've already done this before and we can still get to know each other afterwards. I have no intention of going anywhere, do you?"

His response was to kiss her, leading Elena to see that as a trend in his behavior. She took that to mean that he also had no intention of going anywhere. He pulled her even closer and surprised her by lifting her up. She gasped into the kiss and wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her up the stairs in human speed. Once they were inside his room, he pinned her between him and the closed door. Their kiss turned from soft to passionate and fiery; one that was full of want and need.

Elena unhooked her legs and slowly slid down to the floor. Once she was standing on her own two feet, she gave a light push with her body and they began moving as one towards the bed, shedding clothes as they went. By the time they landed on top of the comforter, they were completely undressed. Damon smirked into the kiss as she bent her knees to cradle his body to hers. While they weren't taking their relationship slow anymore, he was more than ready to make this night last. He was going to consider this their real first time together now that they were alone. He was determined to taste every inch of her body and savor everything.

Elena moaned as he detached their lips, slowly moving his to her neck. He couldn't help but harden as he remembered the taste of her blood on his tongue. He was more than ready to taste it again, already imagining how it would feel to pierce her flesh with his fangs. Elena's body arched as his lips made their way to her chest. He grinned at the small noises of satisfaction coming from Elena's lips. He watched her for a moment, enjoying the beginning pleasure that was visible on her face. With one hand, he reached up and cupped her breast while his lips closed around the hardened nipple on the other.

Her heart was racing in her chest as pleasure erupted through her body. She knew that this was only the beginning, but already she felt on the verge of coming. Just the fact that this was happening set her body on fire. She bit her bottom lip and arched her neck, her head grinding against the pillow as he moved his mouth to the other breast. Instead of massaging the other one, his hand moved down her side until it rested at her hip. As he continued to go back and forth between each breast, his other hand moved to the juncture between her thighs. She hissed as his index finger ran through her folds.

As his finger became coated with her wetness, he moved his lips down her stomach. They ghosted over her inner thighs and hips before going where she craved him most. Her body arched off the bed as his tongue found her core, gently dipping into her wet heat before running upwards to her clit. Her body trembled with pleasure as he repeated the action several times, bringing her closer and closer to release. It wasn't until his lips closed over the small bundle of nerves that his finger slipped inside her body.

Elena clutched the comforter, twisting the material as she reveled in the feel of his expert skill. He hadn't done this the first time and it was everything she had ever imagined it would be. He added another finger and increased the pace of his thrusts, shuddering at how tight she was. He remembered exactly how she felt around him and it made him ache with need. It was getting harder to keep himself in check and take his time with her. He really wanted to simply take her, over and over again until they were both spent beyond their imagination.

Elena's whimpers pulled him from his thoughts and he noticed that one of her hand's had sunk into his hair, her fingers running through it. "Damon..." she breathed and he knew she wouldn't last much longer. He smirked against her and added yet another finger before thrusting as deep as he could. Her body arched even more and he knew he had found her spot. Her eyes squeezed tight and her hand grasped his hair as she came for him, coating his fingers as he pleased her until the very last tremor had left her body.

Leisurely, he made his way back up her body to claim her lips. She smiled up at him, her brown eyes glossy with pleasure. She cupped his face and kissed him deeply before getting the nerve to push forward, allowing her to be on top. He reached up and tucked some hair behind her ears, still in awe that she was really there with him. She moved closer and nipped at his ear lobe before whispering, "It's okay if you bite me."

Damon went still as he watched her sit up. He was mesmerized by her every move after uttering those words. By the way her hair cascaded down her back and over one of her shoulders, shielding some of her body from his view. It wasn't until she reached down between them and guided his hardened member into her that he was able to pull himself from his stupor. Both of them groaned at the pleasurable feeling and the fact that they were _finally_ together as one again. Damon had waited so long for this moment and he no longer had to feel guilty about it.

His hands rose to her hips to hold her in place as she leaned forward enough so that her palms were flat against his chest. When she rotated her hips, he knew that she was adjusted and ready for more. Without hesitation, Damon obliged and began setting a rhythm of thrusting into her. He watched her intently as she bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out. Her fingers dug into his skin as she felt her second release coming with every stroke. When she opened her eyes, she saw his piercing blue ones staring up at her. Instead of feeling awkward, she felt a sense of power and confidence that she had never experienced before.

The raw sensuality brought her over the edge. She sat up straight, her hands squeezing her own breasts as her head fell back; eyes shut tight. Damon's fingers dug into her side to steady her as she rode him faster and harder as she chased her release. Before she had even finished, Damon surged forward and pinned her down on the mattress. He slowed his thrusts as she came down from her high and opened her eyes to look at him again. She smiled and wrapped her legs around his waist as she brought her lips up to his.

As he continued to rock his hips against hers, she groaned and angled her body to accept more of him. "Come with me," she whispered, feeling yet another release nearing. She was amazed at how fast and hard he could bring her to orgasm.

Damon moaned low in his throat at her words and stared down at her. She arched her neck, neither of them knowing if it were an invitation or not. Regardless, Damon leaned in and placed his lips against her flesh. He could feel her pulse beneath her olive skin along with the heat from their lovemaking. She withered beneath him as she felt his canines elongate against her and the next instant she felt his fangs piercing her. They both moaned with pure pleasure at the feeling of being connected in every way. Damon was in heaven as her blood coursed through his system. Elena was lost in pure bliss as she gave her blood and body to him. She could feel his release heating up her insides as they came together.

When they both came crashing back to reality, Damon rolled to lie on his back. Both of them stared at the ceiling while they panted to catch their breath. Elena turned her head to the side and smiled as he did the same. Her hand sought his and he gave it a light squeeze. "That was well worth the wait," he said, tucking one arm behind his head.

Elena moved so that she was half lying on him, half on the bed. Her arm was stretched out to brace herself as she smirked down at him. "I think there's a little bit more to do before we make up for lost time, don't you?"

His eyes widened a little as he reached out to play with her messy hair. "I can be persuaded."

She grinned and moved up to kiss his lips. "You're on," she teased and laughed as he pinned her to the bed again. The rest of the night was spent making up for lost time, making it worth the wait in more ways than they could count.


	26. Chapter 26

**a/n: So I started a new story and posted it yesterday. It's called Fighting Fate and it's Delena. It's AU/AH. Other than that, I'm not saying anything else. You'll just have to go read and see what it's about for yourself ;)**

**And One Kiss will be up by the end of next week :)**

TWENTY-SIX

When Elena woke the next morning, she jumped as an arm tightened around her waist. For a moment, everything was off and she had forgotten where she was and who she was with. When the events of last night came rushing back, Elena smiled and placed her hand over Damon's. She lay there for a bit longer before picking up his arm and attempting to move away. She gave a gasp of shock as he rolled forward, pinning her down between his body and the mattress.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, peering down at her with desire in those steel blue orbs.

"To get a glass of water."

"I can get it for you."

She shook her head and ran her fingers through his hair. She couldn't help but smirk at the fact that his hair was sticking up every which way. This was the first time she had ever seen him so disheveled and she liked it. "I need to get feeling back into my legs."

Damon frowned at that, the playfulness fading a little bit. He had given her a little of his blood during one of their trysts, but he hadn't thought about what her body could and couldn't take. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked hoping that he hadn't over done it.

She nodded and smiled up at him. "I feel like I ran a marathon," she said and moved up to kiss him briefly. She was sore; her body ached from head to toe, but it was one of the best feelings she had ever experienced.

Her hands rose to rest on his biceps as her knees bent to cradle his body between her thighs. She moaned softly as his hardened member brushed against her. Damon closed his eyes as he felt her tilt her hips forward, a sign that she was ready and willing. He laughed at himself at the fact that she had worn him out; not the other way around. Deepening the kiss, he angled his hips and entered her in one swift motion. Her back arched, pushing their fronts together. Her fingers dug into his skin as he thrust as hard and deep as he could. Their lips remained locked in a steamy kiss, stifling their moans as they lost themselves in their releases.

When they both came back down from their highs, Damon nuzzled her neck, taking in her scent. Elena smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. "Okay," she breathed, causing him to look at her. "Now I'm getting some water."

Damon grinned as she pushed him off of her and got out of bed. He frowned as she winced and reached out to make her sit on the edge of the bed. He bit into his wrist and held it out to her. He spoke before she could protest. "This is the least I can do."

Elena sighed and closed her eyes as her lips parted. He placed his wrist over her mouth and felt his eyes flutter as she started to suck at the blood. Very rarely did he share blood with his bed mates. It was something so pleasurable that he wanted to savor the moment with the right person. Elena was that person and he was more than happy to share this with her. It made him even more happy that she was willing to accept his offer.

"Thanks," she said as she moved away and licked her lips. She stood up and grabbed the first thing that she could see which happened to be his shirt. As she buttoned it, she smirked at him. "When I get back, I want to take a shower."

Damon was on his feet in an instant. "I'll make sure the water's warm," he said, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.

Elena shook her head playfully and headed out of the room, knowing that his eyes were on her backside the entire way. It wasn't until she was out in the hall that she realized she was in a button down T-shirt and nothing else. It was a little awkward and it made hurry that much more to get her glass of water so she could get back to Damon. Once she had a full glass, Elena realized just how thirsty she was.

As she was halfway done with her second glass, Stefan came into the room. Both of them went still as a statue. Stefan's eyes raked up and down her body as she tried her hardest not to make eye contact with him. Her cheeks were burning and she knew they were as red as a tomato. Slowly, Elena moved to set the glass on the island and tried her best to tug down the shirt without making it obvious.

Stefan cleared his throat and forced a smile. "There's, ah..." Instead of finishing his sentence he stepped forward and brushed his thumb across her chin. Elena felt as though she could die of embarrassment as she saw a smear of blood on his thumb as he pulled away.

"Thanks," she mumbled, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of there.

As she moved to leave the kitchen, Stefan spoke and stopped her mid step. "I've been trying to understand this and be happy for you, Elena. But I can't and I'm not. I need to hear what happened that night from your perspective."

Elena had been dreading this moment. Since Damon brought it up at her house the other day, she knew it would come up sooner or later with Stefan. Either way, she felt unprepared. For a brief moment she met his gaze and saw the pain that filled his eyes. It broke her heart to know that she was the cause of it. "I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling the tears gathering in her eyes.

Stefan took a step forward and stopped himself. He shook his head and studied her. "Don't be sorry, Elena. I just need to hear it from you. They both told me you weren't compelled, that you stayed of your own free will, but I need to hear it from _you_."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I stayed because I wanted to. Katherine probably would have compelled me to do so anyway, but that doesn't change the fact that I wanted to from the beginning. I'm not sorry that I'm seeing Damon. I'm not sorry that I fell in love with him," she said, realizing just how much she loved the elder Salvatore in that moment. "I'm just sorry that it took me so long to realize it and that you got hurt."

There was nothing else that could be said; nothing else that she wanted to discuss. After a moment of staring at him, she averted her eyes and turned to leave the room. She didn't make it very far before he spoke again, stopping her in her tracks. "I'm not mad at you."

Elena turned to face him. "Yes you are and that's okay. I'd be mad at me too."

A smile tugged at his lips as he leaned forward to rest his hands on the island counter. "Alright, maybe I'm a little mad at you, but I'm mostly mad at myself. I saw this coming from the moment you two came back from Georgia." He sighed and shifted nervously. "I should be the one apologizing to you. I should have backed off, but instead I refused to let go. It was like 1864 all over again and I didn't want to share you."

"Stefan-"

He cut her off with a shake of his head. "I should also be thanking you."

"Thanking me?"

"When I found you, I wasn't completely over Katherine. In a way, you helped me get over her. I no longer feel this need to be someone I'm not for someone else. I loved her because she was different and exciting; the same reasons I fell for you. What I felt for both of you was real, but I was trying to be someone I'm not."

Elena let his words sink in and smiled softly. "You know I don't like being compared to her, right?"

Stefan's eyes went wide and he shook his head rapidly. "No, no. That's not-"

"It's okay, I know what you were trying to say," she assured him. "I think."

"All I'm trying to say is that you helped me realize that I can love again. It will take years to get over you, but I know I'll be able to do it."

Elena was amazed by Stefan and the fact that he was willing to make amends and be happy for her even if that meant she was happy with his brother. Forgetting that she was scantly clad, she walked to the other side of the island and wrapped her arms around him. He held her tight and let his chin rest on top of her head. He tried his best to ignore the fact that she smelled strongly of Damon.

"Things might be a little awkward at first, but I promise I'll do my best not to let it get in the way. There are a lot of dangerous things that could be headed our way and the last thing I want is for anything to happen while we're still mad at each other," he said.

"Thank you for being so good about this. I never deserved to be with someone like you."

Stefan pulled back to look at her and cupped her face. He smiled and shook his head slowly. "You deserve someone who completes you in every way possible. I hate it, but that person is Damon," he said and tilted his head up to the ceiling. "And he's waiting for you." With that, he placed his lips gently onto hers. They stood like that for a few seconds that seemed to last for hours. It was a goodbye kiss; nothing more, nothing less. When Stefan pulled away, he nodded at her and took off, leaving her alone in the kitchen.

Elena stood there for a moment, trying to wrap her mind around everything that happened. When she was able to snap back to reality, she took her glass to the sink and then headed back upstairs. As she entered the bedroom again, she started unbuttoning the shirt, letting it fall to the floor as she made her way to the connecting bathroom. Damon saw the semi-sad look on her face as she entered the shower. He pulled her into his arms and they stood under the water like that for a few minutes.

"That must have been a tall glass of water," he commented, making her grin.

"Stefan came down to talk to me."

She felt Damon stiffen a bit, making her wonder if he had heard any of their conversation or not. "And?"

"He's putting the past behind him and he's trying to be happy for us."

Damon nodded above her head and pulled away slightly. He had heard everything that had been said downstairs, but he didn't feel the need to share that with Elena. He figured she knew on some level. He had been quite surprised by his younger brother and a little proud. It had hurt him too, knowing that he had spent the past hundred and fifty years making Stefan's life hell and when the time came for him to retaliate, he did nothing. In fact, he had done the complete opposite and was trying to make Damon's life livable.

Elena pulled him from his thoughts as she turned her back to him and started lathering her hair with shampoo. He took over and before they knew it, they were clean from head to toe. Afterwards, they stood under the spray of water until there was no more heat left, just holding each other as if nothing else mattered. Sooner or later life would get in the way and pull them apart, but for now, they wanted to stay wrapped up in each other's arms. And that was exactly what they did.


	27. Chapter 27

**a/n: I just found the song where "Elena" and Damon kiss on the porch haha...obviously I'm a little behind, but it totally made my day lol. Thank you Petsmart radio :)**

**And I've officially finished this story, but this is NOT the last chapter! Sorry if that confused anybody before. This story will have 31 chapters total. And sorry guys, there will NOT be a sequel to it in case anyone was wondering.**

TWENTY-SEVEN

For the following two weeks, everything was peaceful. There was no one compelling anyone, no arguing, and no impending break up. Damon and Elena split their time evenly between their houses, mostly so that Jenna could see how good they were together. Elena had even learned from her mistakes with Stefan and didn't spend every waking hour with Damon. It was hard for both of them, but it made their time together that much greater.

On one of the days that they agreed to spend apart, Damon tried everything he could to keep himself busy so he wouldn't be tempted to go see her. Although it seemed that nothing was working. In the end, he found himself on the couch in the parlor, reading one of his old time favorite books, sipping glass after glass of his favorite scotch. It wasn't until Stefan came in and disrupted his bubble of silence that he realized how long he had been sitting there for.

"I heard what you said to her," Damon said as Stefan passed by the parlor. It was the first time he had seen his brother for more than a passing second since Katherine took Elena.

"I meant every word."

Damon inclined his head and set his book down before getting to his feet. "She said she made you promise to make amends with me." Stefan only nodded as he leaned against the wall. "She made me promise the same thing. I think it's time to really put the past behind us."

Stefan's face lit up with surprise. He had never expected to ever hear those words coming from Damon's mouth. He instantly thought of Elena. She may have hurt him, but he had a lot to thank her for; especially giving him his brother back. "I agree."

"We can go hunting together."

Stefan's brow rose at that. "Really?"

Damon rolled his eyes and grimaced at the thought of fur between his teeth. "How about a walk in the woods then?"

Stefan nodded and waited for Damon to finish his drink before they started to walk towards the door. After a hundred and fifty years, it was definitely time to fix things with his brother. It would make Elena happy and he would have his family back. With that, the Salvatores left the boarding house and began patching up their relationship.

* * *

Elena was sitting at her window, writing in her diary. She hadn't updated it since Katherine had first come to town and she felt that adding Damon would make it even more real. She had written almost religiously when she had been seeing Stefan that she knew leaving Damon out wouldn't be right. She had spent the better part of her morning and early afternoon catching the journal up on recent events.

The doorbell was what finally made her stop. Elena frowned, wondering who it was. Bonnie wasn't supposed to be coming over until later and Jeremy was at Tyler's. Damon was at home and if he was coming over, he would use her window or simply let himself in. As Elena walked downstairs, she thought it might be Caroline. She was the only one that wasn't doing anything that Elena knew of.

However, anybody would have made more sense than Katherine.

Elena's hand froze on the door as her body went rigid in shock. "What are you doing here?" she asked after a moment of just staring.

"I came to talk," she replied, offering a smile. Instead of coming off as friendly and warm, it scared Elena a little bit. "May I come in?"

"You've already been invited," she said in a bored tone.

"Yes, and it served it's purpose, but I'm asking if you'll allow me to come in so we can have a chance to talk."

"About?"

"You'll find out," she said, grinning again, playing with the strap of her purse on her shoulder. Elena mulled it over, but once again, curiosity got the best of her and she stepped aside to let the vampire version of herself pass. "Thank you," she said and headed for the living room.

Elena shut the door slowly before cautiously following after her. She sat down in the chair that looked to the couch where Katherine was sitting with her back against the arm rest. "So...what did you want to talk about?"

"I spoke to Isobel yesterday."

Just the mention of her biological mother's name was enough to make Elena feel some anger. "So?"

"She found what I've been asking to her look for."

"Which is...?" Elena asked, feeling like an interrogator from the amount of questions that left her lips.

Katherine moved to pick up the bag she had carefully set down on the floor by the couch. She pulled out the contents, a dagger and a bottle of ashes, and held them up for Elena to see. She turned the bottle as she inspected the contents and then met Elena's gaze. "These are the ashes of a white oak tree that was alive around the time the Originals were born. The dagger is spelled so that when dipped into the ashes, they bond together. As long as the blade stays inside the body, the Original will stay dead forever."

Elena watched as she put the two items back inside the bag and returned it to the floor. "Will it work?"

"As far as I know, it's the real deal. Your ancestor was researching it, but I had to leave before I could get the information from him."

"You didn't have to leave," Elena said, feeling a bit of anger towards the girl in front of her as she mentioned her first time in Mystic Falls.

"I had my reasons for needing to get away from this town back then. One of them was Klaus and the fact that I couldn't have stayed their much longer because of what I am," she said, giving Elena a hard stare.

Elena refused to back down from Katherine's gaze. "And the other?" she challenged, always having been curious as to why the elder woman had done what she did.

Katherine smirked and moved one ankle over the other, her fingers tapping the tops of her jean clad thighs. "Because I made a deal with George Lockwood."

Elena tilted her head to the side out of curiosity and waited for her to continue.

"There had been a few attacks going on and the Council was more than eager to blame vampires. What they didn't know was that most of the attacks were from werewolves. It just so happened that the Lockwoods were one of the founding families, so no one bothered to even look their way when it came to point out the supernatural.

"I had been friends with George, mostly because I knew something was off about the family. Their blood smelled different and they had a certain way about them. It wasn't until I found George causing one of the attacks that I discovered werewolves and his family secret. Johnathan actually mentioned them in a few of his journals, but he just thought they were regular wolves, never mind the people he thought would keep him safe.

"Since the Council was adamant to get rid of the vampires for being the 'cause' of the attacks, I had to act fast. I'll admit, at that point, it was all about me. Sure, I had my friends, but I didn't go through all of that trouble with Klaus just to get killed by a bunch of humans looking for the wrong supernatural threat." Katherine took a deep breath and collected her thoughts again.

"I had the moonstone when I confronted George. I told him all about the curse and that I knew what he was; what he had done. I made up a few things about how in the possession of a werewolf, the moonstone would help relieve some of the symptoms of the change as the full moon approached. In exchange, I would tell him who the vampires were and where the best place to kill them would be. He was the one that suggested the church because of the tomb underneath. That way, they would lock them into the tomb, starve them, and make it look as though they had died in a fire when they destroyed the church above."

Elena studied her and shook her head slowly. "You sold your friends out for your freedom."

Katherine smiled wickedly. "It worked, didn't it? I wasn't supposed to have been in the tomb at all, but Stefan had said something to tip off Gusieppe and he put vervain in Stefan's drink. I visited him that day and they hauled me to the tomb. George went in after the crowd had left and helped me out." Her eyes darkened and the smile disappeared from her face. "It was then that he told me about Stefan and Damon."

Elena was taken aback by the emotion on Katherine's face. For a moment, Elena was sure she really had feelings for the brothers at one time. For all she knew, those feelings were there, buried deep beneath the surface.

"He brought me to the spot where they had been shot. I knew they had had my blood in their system and that they would be waking up rather soon. I couldn't risk sticking around to help them so I had George get a message to Emily. Then I left."

Elena studied her again. "I still don't believe you."

Katherine's eyes narrowed. "What don't you believe?"

"That you never cared about Stefan and Damon. That they were just a game to you."

Katherine shook her head. "They were a game," she answered and then shrugged. "At least that's what it was supposed to be. Feelings may have developed for one more than other; more than was ever planned."

"Do you still love him?"

Katherine's eyes went wide at Elena's bold question.

"Stefan. Do you still love him?"

"I-"

"I saw the way you looked at each other the day you took me. He was the one that you developed feelings for. Not Damon."

Katherine was silent for the longest time. She hadn't even admitted to herself and yet Elena had been able to see it. "Yes," she admitted in a barely audible whisper.

"It's not too late you know," Elena said, not sure why she was suddenly feeling the need to play match maker. "If you tell him-"

"No," Katherine interrupted, the force in her voice causing Elena to jump. She shook her head and swung her feet over the side of the couch so they were touching the floor. "I made my choice a hundred and forty-five years ago. I don't want him involved in my messes."

"After Klaus-"

"Even then," she assured the human girl. "It was good while it lasted, but it's over."

Elena nodded. "Is it because you think you don't deserve him?"

Katherine studied Elena. "Now why would you ask me that?"

"Because that's how I felt when I was with him," she said and shrugged. It felt odd to be bonding with Katherine, but in a way, it felt good.

Slowly, she inclined her head. "Something like that," was all she said. Elena was surprised. She didn't really think she'd get an answer. Katherine hated what she did to both brothers. Damon had only wanted the life of a vampire because he wanted a life with her. Stefan wanted her, but didn't want the life of a vampire. She had never really planned to turn either of them, but because of her they had both been shot and turned into something they didn't ask for.

They sat in silence for a very long time after that; neither of them knowing what to say to each other. "Is there anything else?" Elena asked sometime later.

"Not right now."

"Okay, well, Bonnie's coming over and-"

"That reminds me; there's someone I want to introduce to Bonnie."

"Um, okay?"

"The relative that gave her the potion for you, she's in town. She's here to help me with the Klaus situation. She's a powerful Bennett witch and if Bonnie's going to be of any use, she's going to need Lucy's help."

"Is she in town?"

"She arrived yesterday. Let Bonnie know to expect a visitor some time tomorrow."

Elena nodded slowly, not really sure how to take all of that. "Okay."

Katherine inclined her head and placed her bag over her shoulder. "I'll let myself out. Goodbye, Elena."

"Bye," she replied, watching Katherine walk out the front door. Her mind was still reeling from her visit and the fact that she had somewhat bonded with the vampire. Only one thing about Katherine was certain and it was that she was unpredictable. Elena shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and spent the rest of her time processing everything Katherine had shared with her.


	28. Chapter 28

TWENTY-EIGHT

Elena woke up when she felt lips brush over her shoulder repeatedly. She smiled before she opened her eyes. Slowly, Damon's lips moved up the curve of her shoulder to her neck until she turned around to face him. Since she had told him about Katherine's impromptu visit to her house, he had refused to leave her alone. Elena tried to convince him that she seemed genuine, that she didn't want to harm her after all, but there was no way to be sure. In the end, he had agreed that as long as she wasn't at the house alone anymore, he would be fine with that.

"Morning," she mumbled, smirking at his hair hanging every which way.

"Morning," he returned and leaned down to capture her lips.

She grinned into the kiss, but cut it short. "I should probably go home today. I think Jenna wanted to do something. Another girl's night out I believe."

He sighed and flopped down on his back, one arm tucked behind his head, the other behind Elena. "I'm not ready to let you leave my sight yet."

"You're gonna have to learn to share," she said, sitting up but keeping the sheet tight around her chest.

Damon's hand rose to her back, absently tracing patterns across her skin as they spoke. "Says who?"

"Me," she replied, moving her hair over one of her shoulders. "I know you don't want to hear this, but one of the reasons Stefan and I didn't work out is because we spent too much time together. I don't want that to happen to us."

"The reason you and Stefan didn't work out because you weren't meant to be. I could never get tired of having you around because I know that no matter what, we're meant to be."

Elena looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. "If you say so."

He narrowed his eyes playfully before using his speed to pin her down on the mattress. This was their morning ritual it seemed. No matter what happened, she always found herself staring up at his face to see that arrogant smirk. "I do say so," he replied and leaned down to kiss her.

Just as things started getting hot and heavy, Elena's phone rang. Damon groaned, but continued. Elena playfully fought him off and reached for the phone, shaking her head as Damon continued to dust her neck and shoulders with kisses. "It's Jenna," she informed him and he sighed before moving to lie on his back beside her. "Hi," she said as she answered the phone.

"Oh good, you're awake," Jenna said teasingly.

Elena was a little confused by that sentence, but let it go. "Just woke up a few minutes ago. Look, I know you wanted me-"

"That's not what this is about," she interrupted. "Alaric and I were wondering if you and Damon would like to join us for lunch at the Grill."

Elena and Damon exchanged a look at that. "Uh...sure?"

"Don't worry, this was all his idea. I think it's a little weird that I'm going on a double date with my niece, but whatever. It will be fun."

Elena smiled and nodded even though Jenna couldn't see her. "What time were you thinking?"

"In about an hour or so."

Elena frowned, looking around for a clock only to discover there wasn't one. "What time is it?"

"Almost noon."

Elena narrowed her eyes at Damon who only grinned. "Okay, we'll see you in a little bit," she said and hung up. After replacing her phone on the nightstand, she smacked Damon. "Why did you say morning if it's noon?"

"Technically, it's still morning," he said and shrugged. "So lunch with Alaric and Jenna."

"Is that okay with you?"

He nodded. "This is Jenna seeing how I treat you in public. She's seen us at the house, but not out where my eyes can wander," he said, rolling his eyes. "It's a challenge that I'm going to accept."

"Thank you," Elena said before bending to give him a slight kiss before getting out of bed.

"Where are you going?" he asked as she got to her feet.

"To take a shower."

"Sounds good," he said, following her.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he turned on the water.

"Well, we're going to finish what we started and then we're going to have fun cleaning each other up." He grinned from ear to ear at her. "Killing two birds with one stone."

Elena rolled her eyes but was unable to keep from smiling back at him. Once the water was at the right temperature, they stepped into the stall and underneath the rainfall shower head. Once they were throughly wet, Damon cupped her face and kissed her slowly. He began moving forward until Elena's back was pressed against the wall; their fronts fusing together. Elena felt his hands slide down her neck, her arms, and then to the sides of her body until they rested on her hips. After lingering there for a moment or two, he gripped her tightly and lifted so that she could wrap her legs around his waist.

Elena took initiative after that. While one of her hands rested on his shoulder, the other reached down and guided him to her entrance. They both groaned with satisfaction as he slid all the way into her. Damon stilled for a moment and deepened the kiss. As he removed his lips to let her breathe, he pulled almost all the way out of her. Slowly, he drove back in and repeated the action until Elena ground her hips in frustration. Damon gave in and started thrusting into her.

Elena's head fell back against the tile, her eyes half closing as she felt her head beginning to bind. Damon buried his face into the crook of his neck as he rocked his hips at a rapid pace. It didn't take either one of them very long to feel the beginnings of their release. Elena's fingers dug into his skin as his hands gripped her thighs to keep her in place. Elena's eyes shut tight and she moaned Damon's name as she came for him. Damon continued his ministrations until she was on the downward spiral. He slowed down as he released inside her, both of them going still until they were completely spent.

Damon pulled out and stepped back, gently putting her back down on her feet. She smiled up at him and moved to step back under the water. "Alright, now we really have to shower or we're going to be late."

"Oh trust me, we're not going to be late. I don't want to give Jenna any reason to stake me."

The seriousness in his voice made Elena laugh and throw her arms around him. "I'm sorry, but your fear of her is unreal. She's not really going to hurt you."

"I'm not taking any risks," he said and kissed her forehead before moving back. "Come on, time to get clean, just like I promised."

Elena shook her head and grinned as she turned to present her back to him. If only he knew that Jenna was the one that usually ran late. Although it made her feel more confident about her relationship with him. The fact that he wanted her friends and family to like her was quite the turnaround from the man she had met a year ago. It wasn't that he had changed for her, it was that she had brought the humanity out in him. This was the real Damon; not the violent, blood thirsty vampire who didn't care who he hurt.

A smile graced her lips as his fingers massaged her scalp while he washed her hair. While she had been afraid to admit her feelings in the beginning, she was not a bit sorry about them. She loved him and he loved her. That was all that mattered.

* * *

Lunch hadn't been as awkward as the four had thought it would be. Jenna and Elena noticed the way Alaric and Damon interacted. It was like they had been friends for a long time because of their banter. Even the way he and Jenna joked around put Elena at ease. It was a great feeling to know that her aunt was finally warming up to her boyfriend.

"So I would like to apologize to you," Jenna said as she and Elena stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom.

"For?"

"For going off on you about Damon."

"Don't apologize to me," Elena said with a grin.

She groaned and pouted. "Alright, alright, I'll apologize to him too," she said and then smiled. "But I'm very glad I was wrong about him. You two seem so happy and I can't tell you how happy that makes _me._"

"Thank you Jenna," Elena said and hugged the blonde.

"You're welcome," she replied and held her head high. "Alright, time for apology number two."

When they arrived back at the table, Damon moved over on the bench for Elena. He took her hand and squeezed it lightly. Elena smiled warmly at him and then smirked at Jenna. "I believe Jenna has something to say to you," she said.

Jenna made a face at her niece before clearing her throat and looking at Damon. "I want to apologize to you."

"You don't have to."

Jenna shook her head. "Yes, I do. You make Elena happy and that's all that matters. I don't care what you did in the past as long as you treat her right, and you do."

He inclined his head and smiled warmly before looking at Elena with admiration. "We have this on and off switch for our emotions. Mine have been off until I met Elena. She brought out my humanity and made me feel again; the good and the bad. I wouldn't trade that for anything."

Jenna's heart nearly melted as she tilted her head and watched them share a brief kiss. "Isn't that romantic, Ric?" she asked, nudging him with his elbow.

"Uh, it's a bit mushy for my taste."

Jenna responded with a harder nudge and the four of them laughed. "Well, I think we're going to head out. Thank you both for coming," Jenna said as she and Alaric stood.

Elena was about to suggest that they leave too when she saw Matt, Caroline, Tyler, and Jeremy coming inside. "We'll I'll see you at home," she said and gestured in their direction as they headed to a pool table.

"Do we have to?" Damon asked as they headed towards the group.

"I told them, but I don't think they really believe me. This way can see with their own eyes that we're together," she said and linked their fingers together. "I want them to know and I'm not afraid to show you off."

He grinned and turned to kiss her. "If anything, _I'm_ going to be the one to show _you _off."

"Either way works for me," she said and squeezed his hand as they stopped in front of the group.

"Hey," Jeremy said, unfazed by the sight of the new couple. They had been around the house for three weeks; it wasn't new to him. Caroline, Matt, and Tyler on the other hand were more than surprised. Their eyes kept moving to their joined hands to their faces to each other.

"Mind if we join you?" Elena asked.

"Not at all," Matt said, forcing a smile as he looked at Damon. He had no reason to hate him, seeing as how he didn't know that he was responsible for Vicki. Elena felt a little guilty about keeping that from him, but it was better than watching him suffer all over again.

"Elena, will you come to the bathroom with me?" Caroline asked as she pulled her away from Damon.

"Sure," Elena answered, knowing that she didn't really have a choice.

"Are you kidding me?"

"What? I told you about this weeks ago when it happened."

"Yeah, but-"

"But nothing, Caroline. I know what he did to all of you and I know that he's sorry-"

"He's not sorry."

Elena sighed; she was right. "He's done with that. I love him, Care. I'm not going to keep that to myself because you guys don't like him. You don't really know him." She snorted and Elena rolled her eyes. "Well, _you _know him, but he's changed. I swear, he's not the same Damon that you hooked up with."

Caroline studied her and then let out a deep breath. "Alright, but if I see any signs of foul play, I'm staking him."

Elena laughed. "You're going to have to wait in line. Jenna already gets the first stab."

As the girls made it back to the table, Elena was pleased to see that the four boys were playing nice. They were talking as if they had hung out before. Most of it was because of Jeremy. "Thank you," Elena mouthed to him and he inclined his head.

"We were going to get lunch, are you guys hungry?" Matt asked.

"No, we just ate with Jenna and Alaric. Thanks though," Elena answered.

Caroline and Elena chose to sit out for the first round, watching how the guys interacted as they played. When it was over, Damon chose to sit out so Tyler, Jeremy, and Matt could play. As Caroline opened her mouth to give him the best friend speech, he spoke first. "I'm sorry for everything I did to you. I shouldn't have used you like that. Part of me is apologizing because you're Elena's friend and the other part is apologizing because I mean it. That was the Damon with no emotions."

Caroline was silent for a moment before she softened up and nodded in acceptance. "Just don't treat Elena the way you treated me and I'll pretend it never happened."

"Deal."

"Oh, and you have to go on a double date with Matt and I."

"Uh-"

"I won't take no for an answer," she informed him with a friendly grin.

"You two can work the details out on that one," he said and looked at Elena. "I'm going to get a drink, I'll be right back." He kissed her briefly and then headed to the bar.

Just as Elena was about to ask why Bonnie wasn't there, her phone rang. Bonnie's name was on the display and Elena laughed. "I'm going to take this outside," she said and answered. "Hey Bonnie, hang on a second."

"Okay," she heard.

"Alright. Sorry, I was in the Grill. What's up?"

"I'm here with Lucy. She's teaching me all sorts of neat little tricks. We... Grams... It's fun and..." Her voice kept cutting in and out. Elena could barely hear her.

"Bonnie?" Elena called out, moving around in the alley, trying to find a better signal. "Bonnie?" she called again and moved the phone away from her hear to see that the call had been dropped. Shrugging, she turned around, only to collide with someone. The phone slipped out of her hand and crashed to the ground. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you," Elena said.

As she bent down to pick up her phone, the person grabbed her wrist and held her without any effort. She looked up and froze. His cold blue eyes bore into hers. She had never met him before but she knew exactly who it was. He radiated power and it captivated her, rendering her motionless. Her lips parted as she found her voice, but she was only able to utter one word. "Klaus," she whispered.

Slowly, a grin spread across his face as his eyes raked over her body. "Hello, Elena." He emphasized her name in a deep, spellbinding voice and in the next instant, her world went black.


	29. Chapter 29

**a/n: for those of you that did read my Nothing Without You series, Roarke was his warlock. Basically, he was to him what Emily was to Katherine. For those of you that have read that series, I used the same character, but he's not as powerful and he's not quite the same. I just felt like Klaus needed a henchman. :)**

**and as far as Tyler is concerned...for this story, he hasn't killed anyone yet, but the spell will still work because he has the gene. Just pretend along with me haha :) It's easier that way.**

TWENTY-NINE

When Damon returned to the group, he noticed Elena was absent. He looked around the restaurant and focused on her voice. Nothing. "Caroline, where's Elena?" he asked, making his tone very serious.

"She went outside to take a phone call."

"When did she leave?"

"A few seconds after you went to get your drink. I'm surprised you didn't hear her."

"I don't eavesdrop unless I want to," he informed her and downed the shot of Bourbon in one go. "You don't think it's strange that she's not back yet?" he asked, having been gone for five minutes.

Caroline finally caught on to what he meant and her eyes went wide in alarm. "Oh my God, I-"

Damon stepped into her path, blocking her from rushing to the guys. "I'm going outside to check on her. You're going to sit here and say nothing."

"You can't compel me," she snapped, glaring up at him.

"I'm not trying to," he returned harshly. "I'll be right back," he added and turned to leave. Once outside, he stopped and reached out with his senses. He closed his eyes to concentrate on his hearing. Fear and anger rolled through him as he heard only silence. He moved towards the alley next to the building where he had kissed her once. As he rounded the corner, he heard a crunch and looked down. It was Elena's cell phone. He swore in every language that he knew. He inhaled deeply, trying to catch a familiar scent, hoping that it was Katherine playing another game. When he failed to pick up her trail, he knew that the only other explanation was Klaus. He had found them and he had taken Elena.

He rushed back inside, making his way to the group. People stopped and watched him because he wasn't moving at human speed. Every person could tell that there was something about Damon that wasn't right. He stopped in front of the boys and locked eyes with Jeremy. "Gilbert, Lockwood, you're coming with me," he said and looked at Caroline. "You and your boyfriend are going home."

"But-"

"Now." He said the word with so much force and urgency that Caroline simply nodded.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked as he and Tyler followed Damon out of the Grill to his car. "Where's Elena?"

"Klaus is here."

Jeremy froze as they reached the car. "Klaus? The guy who wants to kill her to break the curse?"

"What curse?" Tyler asked.

"Get in, I'll explain on the way." As he slid into the driver's seat, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts to find Katherine. She had given her number to Elena and Elena had programmed it into his and Stefan's phone for emergency purposes. Damon had thought he would never have to use it.

"Hello?" Katherine answered on the first ring.

"Katherine, it's Damon. Come to the boarding house and bring your witch. Klaus has Elena."

"I'll be right there," she said and hung up.

"What curse?" Tyler asked again, looking back and forth between Jeremy and Damon.

Damon was too busy focusing on the road, driving at law breaking speeds to answer. That left Jeremy to do the talking. Tyler took the information better than they both expected and didn't ask many questions. By the end of what he was sure was the short version, all he could focus on was that there was an evil, vampire version of Elena in town. He knew all about vampires since learning about his true nature, but he didn't know the extent.

"What do you want me to do?"

"We want you to help us. We could use all of the supernatural muscle we can get."

"So why are you coming along? As far as I remember, you're still human," he said and studied Jeremy. "Right?"

Jeremy nodded and held up his hand, pointing to the ring. "This will heal any wound that I get. Even death," he answered and heard the leather creak as Damon's fingers tightened on the steering wheel. "Look, Tyler, I know we're asking a lot, but this is for Elena. She would do this for any one of us and I can't lose my sister."

Tyler mulled it over and found himself nodding. It was Elena. While they weren't close by any means, he still considered her a good friend. She was always there when he needed her for stupid stuff growing up and it would be wrong to turn his back on her now. Plus, he wasn't so sure that Damon wouldn't kill him if he said no and walked away.

"I'll call Alaric and tell him to meet us there," Jeremy said, turning to Damon before reaching for his phone. After the call, the rest of the ride was silent, indicating that the danger of the situation was sinking in.

When they arrived at the mansion, Katherine, Stefan, Bonnie, and Lucy were waiting for them in the parlor. "What happened?" Stefan asked, worried about his ex and his brother. Damon looked shattered, letting Stefan know that whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"Elena went out to answer a call-"

"I called her," Bonnie interrupted, her voice shaking. "The call started breaking up and then the line went dead."

"Klaus was there, I'm sure of it," he said and locked eyes with Katherine. "You said you had a plan for when this happened. I suggest you let us in so we can find her and kill this son of a bitch."

She inclined her head. "For once, I agree with you," she said and began informing them on her plan to take down the Original.

* * *

Elena felt groggy when she came to. The room spun and she experienced a bout of nausea for a long moment. When she could see clearly, she slowly sat up and looked around. Nothing was familiar. Her eyes narrowed in confusion, trying to remember where she was and how she got there. Her blood went cold and her heart sank to her stomach as she remembered Klaus being outside the Grill. He had done something to her and taken her some place where she was sure no one knew where to find her. Panic flooded her system and she began to hyperventilate. Adrenaline kicked in and she got to her feet, searching for a way out.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," came his cold, calculating voice as she pulled the curtains back from a window.

Elena's fingers clutched at the material as her heart raced in her chest. Slowly, she let her hand fall back to her side and turned to face him. "Where are we?" she asked. She knew what he had taken her for and that her chances of seeing anyone again were slim to none. At least if she was bold with her questions, she would get some information before he killed her.

"Close to town. I'm sure Katerina will find me soon enough. Your witches are strong," he said, a slow grin spreading across his face. "But mine is stronger," he added and snapped his fingers. In a short amount of time another man entered the room. He had dark brown hair that hung to his shoulders in soft curls and hazel eyes that were vibrant, yet expressionless. It was almost as if the lights were on but no one was home. "This is Roarke. He has been with me for a very long time."

Elena stared at Roarke for a moment before her eyes sought Klaus'. "You can't remove the spell without the moonstone."

He inclined his head. "As I said, Katerina will find me soon enough."

"You're going to kill all of them aren't you?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

He gave a lazy shrug as he answered. "Katerina, yes. She deceived me in many ways and she must pay for her actions. I might allow your friends to live. They are needed for the spell."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"It's an intricate spell, very hard to break because there are so many key ingredients. There must be at least one witch, one werewolf, and one vampire present along with the doppelganger. Their blood has to be mixed with that of the doppelganger's the moment the sacrifice takes place."

"I thought you said you wouldn't kill them?"

"I said I might let them live. If they survive the blood letting, they'll be free to go."

Elena felt the faintest bit of relief at his words, but knew that there was a good chance that they wouldn't make it. She nodded slowly. "I'll do anything you ask of me, just spare the others." While she hated the idea of being sacrificed, she hated the idea of being in a world without any of her loved ones even more.

"You have my word, Elena. If they survive, they may leave. However, if they come after me in the beginning, I will defend myself. Not that they could do any real damage," he said arrogantly.

For a moment, Elena was filled with hope. It sounded as though he didn't know about the dagger Katherine had showed her. With any luck, they would be able to use it before any of them got seriously hurt or killed. Maybe they could even use it before Klaus killed her and broke the curse. She swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around herself. "How do I know you'll keep your word?" she asked.

He grinned again, making her shiver. "You don't," he said and turned to leave the room. "Roarke and I will know if you try to escape," he added and then turned to look at her as they stopped at the doorway. "And the consequences will be dire if you attempt to do so."

Elena tried to swallow around her try throat. She nodded once or twice and watched as both men left the room. Scared and alone, Elena sank to the floor, using the wall as a back rest. She hugged her knees to her chest and felt hot tears cascading down her cheeks. She had believed Katherine when she told her that Klaus had no idea about her existence. She knew the vampire couldn't be blamed for this because Elena also believed she had been telling the truth. In the end, it seemed that Katherine had led Klaus right to her.

Now she was never going to get to see her loved ones again. If she did, it would only be to say a quick goodbye in order to save their lives in exchange for hers. As she sat there, crying into the empty room, her thoughts moved to Damon. They had only been together for three weeks. Three short weeks. Her heart broke as she thought about him and her sobs became louder.

Some time later, Elena wasn't sure how much time had passed, Klaus and Roarke returned. She was still sitting against the wall, hugging her knees. Her face was dry and her tears had left visible tracks down her cheeks. She lifted her head, allowing them to see her bleary, red eyes. "What?" she asked, her voice hoarse, after a long moment of silence from both men.

"We brought you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry," she replied as Roarke moved forward. Elena saw the tray she hadn't noticed before and watched as he set it down in front of her.

"You should still eat."

"Why?" she asked. "You're just going to kill me anyway."

Klaus stared at her for a moment and then inclined his head. "Suit yourself," he said and turned to leave. As he got to the door he stopped and tilted his head to the side as if listening to something. In the blink of an eye, he was at Elena's side, hoisting her up by her bicep. She cried out in pain and struggled to gain her footing. "They're here."

Elena's heart skipped a beat and she tried to get out of his grasp. She knew she had agreed to cooperate, but the instinct to get away was overwhelming. No sooner did his free hand clamp over her mouth did she hear the sound of windows breaking. "Elena!" came Damon's voice, creating a fresh round of tears to spill from her eyes.

The moment the window on the other side of the room shattered, Klaus let go of Elena, shoving her harshly to the ground. "Katerina," Klaus said to the woman before him. "It's been a long time."

"Not long enough," she spat and threw a stake at him, knowing it would be ineffective. It was all a distraction that seemed to be working. He was approaching her, making the path to Elena clear except for Roarke.

Damon entered the room with the intention of grabbing Elena and getting out. The moment he reached her, pain shot through her body and she clutched her head and screamed in agony. She could hear cries of pain from other voices as the pain continued to shoot up and down her body. Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. She was able to open her eyes and see Damon and Katherine on the floor as well. She tried her best to reach for Damon, but her movements were sluggish. Her vision blurred and before she knew it, she saw nothing.


	30. Chapter 30

**a/n: this is the last chapter before the epilogue. ****Katherine has made herself tolerent to vervain just like in the show.**

**So I know I keep saying One Kiss will be up soon, but this time I mean it. It will be up by Thursday at the latest :) I had to rewatch the episode because it's been so long that I forgot what happened :( Alright, enough from me, enjoy the chapter!**

THIRTY

Once again, Elena felt groggy when her eyes finally opened. Everything was disoriented and it made her sick to keep her eyes open for too long. Her body felt numb and weightless all at the same time. She tried to lift her hands only to discover that they wouldn't budge. Elena tried again, tugging just a little harder. She gave a groan of defeat and forced her eyes open. It took a moment, but her vision cleared and the nausea stopped. Her wrists and ankles were bound as she lie on a smooth stone slab. She turned her head to the side and felt sick again as she saw the worst thing she could think of. Her eyes closed and she took a series of deep breaths before she opened them again, only this time they were blurry with tears.

Damon, Stefan, Tyler and Katherine were all tied up. Their arms were raised over their head, bound at the wrist from a rope hanging from the ceiling. Below, their ankles were shackled to the ground. They were covered in blood and from what Elena could tell, they were in and out of consciousness just like her. "No," she breathed in horror as her gaze moved slightly to the side. There, in a heap on the floor, were Alaric and Jeremy. The only thing that kept her from really losing it was that she could see their rings on their fingers. Fingers that were thankfully still attached to their bodies. If they were dead, it wouldn't be for long. The only thing missing was Bonnie and Lucy and Elena was sure that they were there somewhere, waiting for the right time.

"Elena?"

Katherine's weak voice brought Elena's attention back to the three that were tied up. "He said he would let them all go," she said, her voice a little rough. She didn't have enough energy to add that it was only if they survived the blood letting.

Katherine gave a bitter laugh and then winced. "He won't."

Elena closed her eyes and inclined her head. "I know."

"I'm sorry," she said, causing Elena to open her eyes. There was raw hurt and genuine sorrow in Katherine's voice as she spoke. "I'm sorry I got you into this mess. I should have known Klaus would do something like this. I should have protected you better. I-"

"Stop," Elena demanded and offered a small smile. "For what it's worth, thank you for trying."

Before Katherine could say anything, Klaus and Roarke entered the room. "That was touching, Katerina, but we all know it wasn't true. You don't care about anyone but yourself. You never have and you never will," Klaus said as he approached her.

Katherine's scream pierced the air, causing Damon, Tyler, and Stefan to stir. Elena struggled to get up, knowing it was useless, and stopped at the sight of blood rushing down Katherine's side. Klaus had staked her. He had used so much force that the end of the stake was barely sticking out of her body. He held a small, deep bowl up to catch the flow of blood and smiled coldly before taking the stake out of her.

Elena hissed as the cold moonstone touched her abdomen. Only then did she realize that Roarke had lifted her shirt enough to expose her torso. He stepped back and grabbed a book from the small altar next to him. His chanting filled the air as Klaus moved to Tyler. He tried his best to get away, but could barely move. Klaus used the same stake to stab Tyler in the side as well, although he didn't go as deep. His blood was collected in the same bowl before Klaus moved to Elena's other side.

"Back away from her!" Damon growled as he struggled so hard a fresh round of blood started trickling down his arms. That was when Elena noticed the smoke that came from their wounds. She shut her eyes against her tears as she realized the ropes were soaked in vervain. She realized Tyler's must have been soaked in wolfsbane other wise he would have been able to get away.

Klaus turned to look at Damon, slowly making his way to him. Elena frantically pulled at her ropes to get free, afraid of what he would do. "And what are you going to do about it?" Klaus asked, inches in front of Damon.

"If you're all powerful, why don't you let us down and show us? Or do you think we can take you? Is that why you locked us up?" Damon taunted.

Klaus gave that cold smile. He said nothing in response, just stared back at Damon. Just as he opened his mouth to say more to the Original, Klaus lashed out and slammed his fist into stomach. Blood began to gush from his nose and he spit blood. "Damon!" Elena, Stefan, and Katherine cried as one. "Stop it!" Elena yelled.

Roarke ceased his chants as the moonstone was tossed to the floor from Elena's motions. Klaus returned to her side and picked it up, placing it on her stomach before turning his gaze on her. "I suggest you stay still. All I need is witch blood and I can make the sacrifice."

"I don't suppose you're going to use your own witch, are you?" Katherine asked, her eyes spitting daggers at Klaus' back.

"Why should I when there are two perfectly good ones outside waiting for your signal?" he asked, slowly turning around to face her. There was a moment of shock on her face before she scowled at him. "Really, Katerina. Did you think I would not hear them? I can smell their power. They are Bennett witches after all."

Without waiting for her comeback, he turned his back on her and nodded to Roarke to continue. He bent down and picked up a vial of blood and poured it into the bowl. "Luckily for them, I don't need their blood. Roarke did lend me some of his and his line is more ancient and powerful than theirs," he explained held the bowl over the moonstone.

He looked down at Elena and tipped the bowl a little, allowing the blood to spill out and coat the moonstone as well as her skin. She shut her eyes against the slick feeling and shuddered. Roarke's chanting faded into the background as he reached to his altar and handed a knife to Klaus. Elena's heart hammered in her chest as he lifted it above his head. She tried with all of her strength to get free as she watched Klaus' lick his lips.

Elena's body tensed to the point she thought her tendons would snap and her eyes squeezed shut as she saw that Klaus was about to lower the dagger. However, he hesitated as Roarke fell to the floor. His body started convulsing and against all odds, he was still chanting the words to the spell. At least he was trying to. Klaus clutched the dagger and whirled around to see what was going on only to see Katherine grinning at him. "You should never underestimate me," she snarled as her face transformed into that of a vampire.

With one powerful yank, she freed herself from the ropes and pounced on Klaus. Her fangs lodged in his neck, but only for a moment or two. But the damage was done. When he threw her off of him, she tore his throat. She licked her lips from the spot she had landed and looked up to Tyler, Damon, and Stefan. With a move faster than Elena could follow, she severed their ropes. Klaus' lips curled as he watched his blood heal Katherine. His eyes went from steel to blood red in an instant before he flung himself at her. She moved out of the way easily; his blood was increasing her strength and speed. As she caused a distraction, Damon went for Elena. He was still weak from the vervain, but he clawed at the ropes until she was free.

All hell had truly broken loose as he helped her down from the altar. Bonnie and Lucy's screams cut through the air and Elena turned to see Roarke had gotten to his feet again. He was staring at Elena as she clung to Damon. It was utterly chaotic that no one seemed to notice. Stefan and Tyler were helping Katherine go after Klaus. Damon was watching them, waiting for the opportune moment. When he saw his opening, he tossed the dagger, already dipped in the ashes, at Tyler. The wolf caught it and held it against his leg, waiting for the perfect moment. He knew it had to go into the heart otherwise it wouldn't work and everything they had done thus far would have been for nothing.

While Elena turned her attention to them, Roarke did as he had been told and picked up another knife that had been lying on his altar. Klaus had made himself very clear; _I die, so does the doppelganger_. He had already taken care of the witches outside. They were hurt and wouldn't be able to help their friends at the moment. They needed some time to recover from the mind blast he had sent their way. He was now focused on Elena and Damon. As the other three fought with Klaus, they were slowly making their way out, leaning on each other for support. As they made it to the door, he heard Klaus' cry of agony and gave a flick of his wrist, watching the dagger soar through the air.

It was the last thing he did. His life had been unnaturally long for a warlock. Klaus had had him perform a spell ages ago, tying their life forces together. That was Klaus' way of ensuring that he would always have a powerful ally by his side. As Klaus died, so did Roarke, his body fading from existence, gone before it ever hit the floor.

Damon stopped moving as he heard Klaus' cry of defeat. He turned his head in time to see the Original falling to his knees, the dagger sticking out of his chest. Exactly where his heart was. Tyler had done his job. Klaus was dead. He moved his gaze to Elena, but his smile faded instantly as his hand became warm and sticky. The familiar scent of blood; _her _blood filled his nostrils. She sagged against him and groaned in pain before coughing and sliding down his body.

"Elena?" he called out, his voice filled with panic.

She gasped for air as his hand crept up a little higher to find a knife protruding from her back. "Damon..." she whispered, her eyes fluttering.

"No, no, no," he breathed, closing his hand over her wound. "No!"

The other three heard his last cry and turned in their direction. They were too stunned to move as the couple slid to the ground. Damon cradled Elena in his lap and hugged her tightly. He could hear her heart slowing down. She wasn't bleeding out, but the blade had pierced her lungs. They were filling up with blood and he knew there wasn't enough time to save her. His blood would simply heal the wound and seal the blood inside the organs, killing her faster. "Don't leave me, Elena," he breathed, his tears falling onto her cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

She reached up slowly and laid her hand on his shoulder. "I love you," she whispered. Her eyes closed again and her hand slipped down until it rested awkwardly by her body. Damon closed his eyes as tears fell from behind his lashes. She let out a small breath of air and her body went completely still.

And just like that, she died in his arms.


	31. Chapter 31

**a/n: It was my intention to kill Elena and have her stay dead, but...**

**A special thank you to Babi. for all the input in the last few chapters of the story :)**

**This is the last chapter and it's sad to see this story over with. I had an amazing journey and I want to thank everyone who read/reviewed/favorited/alerted this story. You're awesome! Again, there won't be a sequel. I don't think I would be able to do this story justice if I continued with a part two.**

** I decided to put the present in italics because the bulk of the chapter was flashbacks and I didn't want this chapter to be mostly italics :) Thanks again for sticking with me on this story!**

THIRTY-ONE

_The day was overcast with the threat of rain. It was fitting for the event of the day. The entire town had turned out for the funeral of one of the most beloved person in Mystic Falls. There wasn't a dry eye in the crowd as hundreds gathered around the open casket to pay their respects. Those closest to the fallen girl were somber and filled with sorrow._

_It was almost too much to take._

_It was odd to be attending one's own funeral and hear everything that was being said. To see all of the bleary eyes that were red from crying. With enhanced senses, she listened as those close to her gave their eulogies, always breaking down into hysterical sobs that broke her unbeating heart._

_She was glad for the cover of the statue. It had always been her favorite; a crying angel made completely of marble. It was large enough that she could hide behind and far enough away from the crowd that no one could see her. Except for the ones that knew she was there. Even now, as he took his place in front of the podium, his vibrant blue over looked the crowd and locked with hers. He delivered his speech, trying his best to seem broken; his eyes never leaving hers._

_A few more people said things about her, good things that they remembered and wanted to share. People she had forgotten about broke down in the middle of their speeches and had to be escorted by their friends. What got to her the most was the woman sitting directly in front of the coffin. Her cries could be heard above the others and as the ceremony progressed, the louder her sobs became._

_She watched as the coffin was lowered into the grave. It gave her the chills and left her with a heavy heart as she heard the sound of the sniffling crowd. Unable to watch any longer, she shut her eyes and pressed her back against the statue. Without another look back, she turned and headed towards the boarding house to wait for those that knew she was still alive._

* * *

Damon lost track of time as he sat there, rocking back and forth as he held onto her body. He knew they should get up and go, but he didn't want to move. He knew that everyone was watching him, even Bonnie and Lucy had made their way inside to see the damage that had been done. Now that Jeremy and Alaric had risen it was just a matter of time before someone suggested that they leave. His eyes flickered up and met Katherine's. He was taken aback by the tears shining in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

"You should go. All of you," Katherine said, tearing her gaze away from Damon and Elena.

"I'm not leaving without my sister," Jeremy said, his eyes focused on her body.

"We're not going to leave her here for someone to find. We would have to explain ourselves and everything that happened here."

"So what are you going to do?" Alaric asked. He was sad, but his heart went out to Jenna. She didn't even get a chance to say good bye. None of them did.

Stefan was the one to answer. "You guys go home. We'll take care of everything else."

"Don't say a word to anyone. All of you go to one house to clean up then go home from there," Katherine instructed. She was forming a plan in her head. "We will let you know the minute we figure something out." That was directed at Lucy and the witch inclined her head.

Slowly, all but the three vampires left the mansion in the middle of nowhere to go back to Mystic Falls. Katherine knew they weren't going to be able to pretend that nothing had happened for very long. They needed to do something. And fast. "Damon, we need to get going," Stefan said lightly, crouching by his brother.

His head snapped towards Stefan. "You had almost a year with her and you took her for granted. I had three weeks. Three weeks!" he snarled and hugged her tighter against his chest. "It wasn't enough."

Stefan knew he was lashing out because he was hurt. He didn't blame him because he was sure he would have done the same. He looked up to Katherine for help and she nodded. "Damon, get up. We have to move fast so that no one suspects anything. If they find her like this, it's going to be 1864 all over again. Except this time, you'll be in the tomb with me and no one will be getting out. Get. Up."

Damon glared at her, but slowly got to his feet. He held Elena in his arms bridal style and waited for them to move. Stefan and Katherine helped him into the back seat of his Camero and waited until he was adjusted before they went back to retrieve Klaus' body. They stashed it in the trunk, knowing they needed to bury him somewhere no one would be able to take the dagger out of him. After that, they took their place in the front seat. Stefan got behind the wheel and made the mistake of glancing into the rearview mirror. He swallowed thickly, wanting nothing more than to go back in time and save Elena. But there was nothing that could be done now.

"What are we going to do?" Stefan asked Katherine.

"Here's what I was thinking," she said and began to fill him in on the plan she had been formulating.

While they talked, Damon tuned them out. He was numb. He had finally started feeling whole again with Elena in his life and now she was gone. There was nothing that could bring her back and he felt empty inside. He wanted to go on a killing spree to take away the pain of losing her, but as he stared down at her face, he knew that wasn't an option. If he wanted her death to mean something, he wasn't going to revert to is old self. He was going to be the Damon she had fallen in love with.

He stroked her face, his thumb brushing over her lips. He would give anything for one last kiss, one that she would be able to return. He inhaled deeply and sighed at the scent of her blood. His eyes narrowed slightly and he sniffed the air again. Something was off. Gently, he moved his hand from her face to the wound at her back that was still bleeding slightly and brought it to his lips. His tongue darted out to taste the blood and he grimaced at the taste. It didn't taste sweet and angelic and it wasn't because she was dead. Blood spoiled, yes, but not that fast.

Damon went absolutely still as something clicked. There was a reason for the sudden acidity to her blood and it left him feeling that small ray of hope again as they rode back to Mystic Falls.

* * *

The first thing they did before setting their plan in motion was lock Klaus' body in one of the basement cellars. Damon stood in another one, staring at Elena's body on the floor. "We'll trash the place first and then move her upstairs," she said.

Damon shook his head. "No."

"No? Damon, we worked this out. We're going to make it look like someone was robbing you and didn't know Elena was here. She caught them by surprise and they killed her by accident and took off. That's why nothing was stolen."

He shook his head again and moved his eyes from Elena to Katherine. "We can't."

"Why not?" she asked, her hands balling into fists at his stubbornness. It was the best plan they had because no one would have to divulge that they were supernatural and the police wouldn't do any real investigating.

Stefan studied his brother and then looked down at Elena. "Because she's going to wake up."

Katherine's eyes went wide before she sank to her knees at Elena's side. "What?"

"She spent the night last night. She had my blood. Enough that she should come back," Damon explained, feeling a bit more hope. "I tasted her blood in the car. It didn't taste like that of a dead person. It didn't taste like human Elena anymore."

Katherine reached out and swiped some blood that had just begun to dry. She lifted her fingers to her lips and let her tongue dart out to taste it. "Why didn't you say anything before!" she hissed as she stood back up.

"I didn't know until we were in the car. It never occurred to me," he answered and shrugged. "It doesn't think that her family and friends think she's dead. One of them had to slip up by now."

Stefan nodded in agreement. "I'm sure someone told Jenna."

"So now what do we do? She can't stay here and be a vampire. Newborns aren't stable."

"I know that," Damon said quietly. He knew that when Elena woke up she wouldn't be able to blend in with society right off the bat. By the time she was ready, it would be time to move before anyone started noticing her agelessness. "So we continue with the plan," he said, looking at Katherine again.

"But-"

Stefan understood where Damon was going and spoke on his behalf, knowing his brother would correct him. "You could die for Elena." Katherine's eyes went wide and she stepped back. Before she could say anything, Stefan continued. "We still trash the house and make it look like someone was robbing us. Vervain doesn't hurt or weaken you, but it does prevent you from healing quickly, right?"

"Right..." she answered slowly, still ready to make a quick getaway.

"So we have you pretend to be Elena. The police would arrive to find you with a dagger in your chest. We would ask Jenna not to request an autopsy because we'll tell her what really happened, but you taking her place at the morgue would make it believable."

"Yes, but they're going to want to do a funeral."

"I'm sure Lucy and Bonnie can do a spell to get you out."

"But that would mean we have to tell them Elena isn't really dead," she countered.

"Not if we don't tell them what the spell is for," Damon said.

Silence fell between them, all three pairs of eyes glued to Elena. "You're sure we can pull it off?" Katherine asked.

Damon and Stefan nodded. "They'll be so full of grief and sorrow that they won't even think that something like this could have happened."

"Are you sure she's going to wake up?" she asked.

Damon nodded briefly. "She was still bleeding out in the car and I think it was her lungs letting the blood out so the body could repair itself. It was a traumatic death. It'll be a little bit before she wakes up. But she will."

Katherine stared at him and stepped in front of his view of Elena. "You better be damn sure, Salvatore. If this is some plot to finally get me out of the picture-"

Damon grabbed her by the throat, his fangs bared at her. "Elena seemed to think you were telling the truth. She's the only reason we're going to bring you back from the coffin; even if we have to dig you out the old fashioned way," he snarled and let go by shoving her roughly. "We have a house to destroy," he added before turning his back and leaving the room.

Katherine rolled her shoulders and stalked off after him, not happy about being treated like that. Stefan was the last to leave. He turned at the doorway to look at Elena again. He remembered feeling so broken hearing Damon's cries. It brought tears to his eyes again, only this time they were mixed with tears of relief. Slowly, he closed the door, locking it behind him in case she decided to wake up. They couldn't risk her walking around town when they had to go to such great lengths to keep her death a secret.

* * *

Stefan returned to the boarding house after the last of the emergency vehicles could no longer be seen. Since his alibi had been gone to a friend's house out of Mystic Falls, he couldn't be there. Lucy was staying in Fell's Church, giving Stefan a "place to go" according to Katherine. Damon had gone to the store to get something for Elena. She had called him, but the line went dead. He immediately drove back to find her dead in the foyer. Or so the story went.

Katherine had taken enough vervain with her to keep the would open and convincing. She had contacted Lucy to tell him that Stefan was using her as an alibi and that she was going to need her to perform a spell later. She assured the brothers that if she told the witch the truth about the spell, she wouldn't tell Bonnie. It was part of their trust agreement. As it was, Katherine promised Lucy that she would consider her debts paid as long as she kept her mouth shut.

Stefan stood outside the cellar door, watching as Damon sat against the wall with Elena in his arms. There was bags of blood by his side for when she woke. He was going to sit there for as long as it took. "I'm going over to Jenna's. I need to tell her what really happened."

"I'll be here."

Stefan ran his hand through his hair and said what he knew Damon didn't want to hear. "Damon, there's a chance that-"

"I know."

"No, you don't know. You're clinging to the slightest bit of hope that she's going to wake up and she might not. I just want you to understand that it might be over. She might really be dead."

Damon said nothing in response. Instead, he brushed the hair from her face and traced her jaw with his forefinger. Stefan sighed and left them alone. There was nothing he could say to make Damon realize that Elena waking up as a vampire was only fifty-fifty. Once Stefan was gone, Damon felt his body relax. He knew it was true; that she might not wake up, that it was all in his head. A tear slid down his cheek as he brushed his thumb across her lips. "Come back to me, Elena. I need you," he whispered.

Countless hours had passed as Damon sat in the cellar, holding Elena without ever letting go of her. He had dozed off once or twice, but not for more than fifteen minutes at a time. He was afraid that she would wake up without him noticing even though he knew she would be noisy. The longer he sat there, the more Stefan's words started to echo in his mind. He couldn't chase away the dark thoughts. What if Elena really was dead? What if the change of how her blood tasted meant nothing? What if he was trying to-

And then it happened.

Her body moved in his arms.

Damon went absolutely still as she began to move more and more until her eyes flew open. He saw her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to breathe, but he was too stunned to do anything. All he could do was sit there and watch as the love of his life woke from her death.

Elena's lips parted and she gasped for air. She hissed in pain as sharp air filled her lungs. Her body felt like it was being poked with tiny pins and needles, like she had slept the wrong way and her body had been numb for awhile. Her vision was still a little blurry, but the familiar scent of Damon filled her nose. "Damon?" she mumbled, her jaw throbbing with a dull ache.

"I'm right here," he said and moved so that her head could rest against his shoulder. "I'm right here," he repeated.

"I don't feel good," she breathed, closing her eyes. She inhaled deeply and was rewarded with the delicious mixture of Damon's scent and the smell of blood. That made her go still and lift her head to look at Damon. It was then that she noticed the tears on his cheeks and the sheer happiness in his eyes. "Damon?"

He brought her to him instead of answering. He held her in a crushing grip and she felt his tears on the curve of her neck. "I'm so sorry," he breathed.

"Why?" she whispered back, even though she was pretty sure that she already knew the answer.

He pulled back slightly and cupped her face. "I wanted it to your choice. I never wanted you to turn against your will," he said and she closed her eyes. It all came flooding back to her. They were about to leave when Klaus cried out. They turned to see him fall and the next thing she knew she felt a sharp pain in her back. Shortly after that she was dying in Damon's arms. "You still have a choice," he whispered, drawing her from her thoughts.

Her eyes opened to see him holding up a bag of blood. She tore her gaze away from it and smiled softly at him. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. "I want you. That's my choice."

Damon inclined his head and used his fangs to rip open the bag. She needed to smell the blood in order to have her fangs come down. He watched the blood rush to the veins on her face, making them more prominent. Her bottom jaw dropped as pain washed over her features. Her fingers dug into him as her fangs began to descend, tearing their way through her gums. Damon had never seen anything so beautiful in his life before. He tipped the blood towards her and she took it. He watched as she fed eagerly, completing the change so that she could live forever; that _they_ could live together.

The moment she drained the bag, she tossed to the side and surged forward to press her lips against his. She kissed him just as hungrily as she had fed, both of them overjoyed that she wasn't truly dead. She moved to straddle his legs and sank her fingers into his hair. He could taste the blood on her tongue and it only reminded him of how long it had been since his last meal.

Slowly, the kiss lost its heat and they broke apart. Damon offered her another bag and picked one up for himself. They bit into their bags at the same time and drank deeply. Elena sighed with satisfaction as the coppery tasting liquid made its way down her throat. She had never felt so hungry in her life; had never tasted anything so fulfilling. As she reached for another bag, Damon grabbed her wrists and shook his head.

"You can't give into your cravings."

She wanted to fight him off and do whatever it took to get to the last bag of blood by their side, but she knew he was right. She nodded and he let go of her hands. "What now?" she breathed.

He reached up and tucked her hair behind her hears. He gave her a soft, sad smile that spoke volumes. He knew whatever he was going to tell her was something she wasn't going to like. She nodded mutely and placed her hands on his shoulders, listening as he told her that everyone thought she was dead. He told her that Katherine was pretending to be her for the funeral and that Elena couldn't stay in Mystic Falls after that. What hurt the most was that she wasn't going to get to say goodbye to her friends and family. But she understood. When he was done, she rested her head on his shoulder and they held each other. She was alive; that was all that Damon cared about. He smiled as he held her in her arms.

* * *

_Elena sat on Damon's bed, waiting for his return. Witnessing her own funeral had been so surreal, everything felt like a dream. She spent her time sitting there, trying to block out the sound of Jenna's sobs. Her fingers absently played with the chain of her necklace. Damon had removed it before she woke up so that the vervain wouldn't hurt her. Since then, Lucy had spelled it so that she could walk in the sun. Inside the locket there was a small piece of lapis lazuli, the stone that allowed the spell to work._

_It was almost nightfall by the time Damon and Stefan returned to the mansion. Everything had been packed and ready to go so that they could make their getaway after getting Katherine back. Elena wanted to be there to say good bye to her; to thank her for everything even though she had died anyway. The three of them drove away from the boarding house, Stefan in his own car, Elena and Damon in his. The brothers left with a heavy heart, knowing that they would never been setting foot in this town again. They had come back more than once before, but now they had closure._

_The trio stood by Elena's grave, waiting for the witches to complete their spell. Elena couldn't imagine how Lucy had talked Bonnie into performing such a spell without being clued in to the details. Shrugging that thought aside, she snuggled closer to Damon and closed her eyes. An hour after waiting, they felt the ground begin to shake just slightly. It was enough that any supernatural being around would have known that it was magick of some sort._

_Luckily, they didn't have to wait too long before Katherine's body appeared on top of the grave, in front of the head stone. She was curled up in the fetal position with an awestruck look on her face. Slowly, she uncurled herself and got to her feet. Stefan caught her as she stumbled and let her lean on him for support. When everything snapped into place, she rushed forward and put her arms around Elena, moving Damon aside in the process._

_"I really did try everything I could to help you," she whispered. "I never meant to get you killed. I underestimated Klaus. I led him right to you," she added and held Elena tighter, knowing that she couldn't break her with her strength._

_Both Stefan and Damon watched the exchange with surprise. Katherine pulled back enough to look at Elena and then let her eyes flicker to Damon. "Take care of her or I will hunt you down."_

_"I will."_

_She looked back at Elena again and smiled. "One day, when the people you once knew are gone, I'll tell Isobel the truth. For now, she'll think you've passed on. Like it or not, her and I are the only family you're going to have someday and I intend on keeping an eye on you still."_

_Elena nodded briefly. "I understand." She looked at Stefan and then to Damon. "Can I have a minute with Stefan?" she asked._

_He nodded and led Katherine away from the pair. "I'm sorry, Elena."_

_"I wish people would stop saying that," she said. "It's done. Look, there's something I want you to do for me before you leave."_

_"Anything."_

_"I wrote a good bye letter to everyone. The moment Katherine told me that this could be a possibility, I prepared for the worst. All I need you to do is get them out so that they get to the right people."_

_"Where are they?"_

_"The loose floorboard in front of my closet."_

_He nodded. "I'll make sure that everyone gets theirs," he said and then pulled her in for a crushing hug. "This isn't goodbye forever, you know."_

_"I know," she said, but couldn't help but shed a few tears._

_"We'll see each other again," he assured her as he stepped back and wiped the tears from her cheeks._

_"Are you and Katherine leaving together?"_

_He shrugged. "I'm not sure," he answered and let his eyes wander to the elder vampire. "You should go before someone gets the urge to mourn you tonight."_

_She nodded and they made their way to the others. They said another round of goodbyes before they went their separate ways. Elena turned her attention the window, watching as Mystic Falls passed by. More tears sprang to her eyes as she realized she would probably never set foot in this town again. She was born here, she had lived here, and she had died here. Most importantly, she had loved here._

_Damon's hand sought hers and she gave him a reassuring squeeze. Together, they put their past behind them and set out to start their new life together._


End file.
